A Queenstown man who passed a patrol car at nearly 150kmh while running late for work has avoided a conviction for dangerous driving.
Akhil Stephen, 28, was clocked at 148kmh near Arrow Junction on the Gibbston Highway about 8.30am on October 11.
His speed later increased to 155kmh, but police were able to pull him over near Chard Rd after other traffic forced him to slow down.
The Indian national, who had been in the country for six months on an accredited employer work visa, was also breaching his new licence, which required him to be accompanied by a full licence holder.
Counsel Tanya Surrey asked community magistrate Elder Robati to discharge Stephen without conviction in the Queenstown District Court yesterday.
A conviction would trigger a deportation liability notice, and the defendant would have to ask Immigration New Zealand for a "character waiver" to renew or upgrade his visa status, Ms Surrey said.
To show his remorse, he had voluntarily completed a defensive driving course, and made a donation to Hospice Southland.
Mr Robati said the defendant relied on a driving licence to get to work.
The defendant felt "huge stress and shame" about his predicament, and his family depended on his income.
He granted the discharge as he was satisfied the consequences of the offending outweighed its seriousness, which he assessed as "moderate to low".
He imposed a six-month driving disqualification, which he backdated to Stephen’s first court appearance on October 16.
— Guy Williams, NZ on Air court reporter
