A retired pilot who wanted to show his friends "the abilities" of his 6.2-litre V8 Mercedes Benz instead treated them to a car accident and put his passengers "at risk of death".
In the Queenstown District Court before Judge Kevin Phillips yesterday, Allen Larry Sheehan (61) admitted dangerous driving at Fernhill on May 29.
Sergeant Ian Collin said Sheehan had two passengers in the vehicle when at 3.15pm he entered Fernhill Rd from Lake Esplanade and "accelerated heavily" up the steep road.
He approached a moderate right-hand corner near the entrance to The Heritage Hotel and hit the kerb, the impact activating the car's air bags.
The vehicle's on-board computer recorded an impact speed of 110kmh, Sgt Collin said.
The vehicle slid sideways for 41m before travelling diagonally across both lanes of the road, hitting the opposite kerb. It eventually came to rest on a gravel parking area, 113m from the original point of impact.
Fernhill Rd is subject to a 50kmh speed restriction.
Sgt Collin said there were several pedestrians in the area, all of whom commented on the car's speed.
When spoken to by police, Sheehan said he was "going harder than 70kmh".
Defence counsel Phena Byrne said it was a "very poor piece of driving" and Sheehan had "no explanation or excuse".
Judge Phillips told Sheehan he was "showing off to your passengers and putting them at risk of death".
"You did not back off your speed, but kept charging up the road.
"Tragedy could have eventuated not only to you and your passengers, but to some other innocent.
"It was a disgraceful piece of driving."
Sheehan was fined $600, court costs $132.89 and disqualified for six months.
