A drug-driver who led police on a dangerous chase, spraying a fire extinguisher at a cop car before driving at officers and crashing a stolen vehicle on its roof, described the crimes as "shocking".
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In November 2022, Codie James Rowlands, 27, was sentenced to a drug and alcohol treatment order, however, it was cancelled after he was a passenger in a stolen car seven months later.
On Friday, Acting Justice Rebecca Christensen was required to re-sentence Rowlands for his most recent crime and the original police pursuit in 2021.
In the ACT Supreme Court, Rowlands was re-sentenced to two-years-and-eight-months' jail, wholly suspended upon him entering into a 20-month good behaviour order.
A total of about 12 months spent in custody while on remand for both the police chase, and riding in a stolen car, were taken into account.
Rowlands had previously pleaded guilty to multiple charges, including driving a motor vehicle at police, aggravated dangerous driving, and possession of stolen property.
Sentencing remarks, published on Friday, outline Rowlands' crimes in December 2021.
He was driving a stolen Kia Sorento when he drove towards a police car, swerving at the last moment and narrowly avoiding a crash.
A female passenger was seen trying to get out of the stolen car while it was still in motion.
Rowlands then drove on the footpath along Ashley Drive in Gowrie, with a number of pedestrians and cyclists in the area.
At one stage, in Wanniassa, he drove at high speed towards police, with officers having to take "evasive action" to avoid a head-on crash.
Heading onto Sulwood Drive, Rowlands swerved towards a stationary police vehicle at a roundabout.
He then let off a fire extinguisher towards the cop car, causing a a large cloud of white powder to obstruct the officer's vision.
During the pursuit Rowlands drove on the wrong side of the road, and reached speeds of 130kmh in 80kmh zones, before turning onto a dead-end street.
Police officers followed and cut off Rowlands from leaving, but he did a U-turn and accelerated at high speed towards the cops.
Rowland crashed the front driver's side of the stolen car into the front driver's side of a police car, causing the Kia to "violently lift" onto two wheels and roll onto its roof.
The stolen car came to a rest on its roof in a front yard, narrowly avoiding hitting a home with a woman and four-year-old child inside.
Rowlands then fled the scene on foot but was arrested a short time later.
"His eyes were watery and bloodshot, and he spoke with slurred speech, making little sense when he did speak," sentencing remarks state.
Police suspected he was "extremely intoxicated by illicit substances" and Rowlands returned a positive result for methamphetamine. On Friday, the judge said "police involved and their family and colleagues inevitably experienced the distress from their safety being put at such risk".
Rowlands had previously told the court his actions were "shocking" and "stupid".
"Mr Rowlands' criminal history is reflective of his gradual descent into addiction and his progress of rehabilitation," Acting Justice Christensen said.
"Overall, Mr Rowlands has demonstrated significant and solid gains in his rehabilitation. There is reason to be optimistic."
