A St George’s man who led police on a high-speed chase last month has been banned from the road for 18 months.

Taaj Muhammad, 21, pleaded guilty to a series of traffic offences in Magistrates’ Court this morning, including failing to stop for police, riding an uninsured vehicle and driving while over the legal blood/alcohol limit.

The court heard that at around 12.30am on August 20, police were on mobile patrol on St John’s Road when they saw a motorcycle, ridden by Muhammad, drive through the junction with Marsh Folly Road at high speed, ignoring a red light.

The officers pursued Muhammad onto Marsh Folly Road until he appeared to pull over near the entrance to Black Watch Pass. However instead of pulling over, the officers watched as Muhammad circled the median twice before speeding down Dutton Avenue.

The chase continued through Hamilton, eventually concluding on Ewing Street.

While speaking with Muhammad, officers discovered that the motorcycle he was riding was unlicensed and uninsured, and that Muhammad had no valid drivers licence.

After smelling alcohol on his breath, the officers asked Muhammad if he had been drinking, at which point he admitted having “three Elephants and two shots of Hennesey”.

He later provided a breath sample at the Hamilton Police Station, which showed a lower reading of 181mg of alcohol in 100ml of blood — more than double the legal limit of 80mg.

When told he would be charged with the offence of driving while under the influence, he allegedly responded: “I don’t care, really.”

Appearing in court this morning, Magistrate Khamisi Tokunbo fined Muhammad $1,200 for driving while impaired and banned him from driving all vehicles for 18 months.

He also fined Muhammad a further $1,800 for a series of other traffic offences associated with the incident, including $1,000 for driving an uninsured vehicle and $300 for failing to stop for police.

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