Man charged after leading police on drug-fuelled, high-speed pursuits

A man has allegedly led police on two drug-fuelled, high-speed pursuits with a seven-month-old baby unrestrained in his front seat.

The 35-year-old was spotted by highway patrol officers about 9.30pm on August 7 allegedly travelling at 168km/h in a 110km/h zone on the Hume Highway near Campbelltown in Sydney’s southwest.

Police chased the driver who allegedly failed to stop, though the pursuit ended soon after due to safety concerns.

The car was then spotted by police at a service station at Sallys Corner in the Southern Highlands, but the driver again allegedly failed to stop when police attempted to pull them over.

Another pursuit was initiated back onto the Hume Highway, this time close to Goulburn where the driver finally stopped at a service station on Hume St and allegedly locked himself inside the vehicle.

When the man refused to open the door, police smashed the driver’s side window to gain entry before finding a seven-month-old baby allegedly without a seatbelt in the front passenger seat.

Paramedics assessed the child, who appeared to be uninjured, and transferred them to Goulburn Base Hospital for further monitoring.

Despite returning a negative roadside breath test, the driver allegedly returned a positive result for methylamphetamine on both a roadside and station drug test.

He has since been charged with police pursuit, not complying with police orders, driving with an unrestrained passenger, speeding by more than 45km/h, dishonestly obtaining property by deception, driving with an illicit drug, and domestic violence-related assault from an alleged incident earlier that night.

He has been granted conditions bail to appear before Goulburn Local Court on Tuesday.