Judge Jane Farish had the fatal crash statistics for people fleeing the police at her fingertips when she jailed Kere Waihape for a reckless high speed dash he made on Sunday afternoon.
He drove through Christchurch at up to 100kmh, putting other road users and police at risk, in a car that he had broken into with a 10 cent coin in the central city.
He is now beginning a two-year 10-month jail term - long enough for the 31-year-old to do programmes that will help him acquire basic life skills.
He is also disqualified from driving for 15 months. Fleeing from the police now brings an automatic, cumulative, three-month driving ban.
Waihape, a sickness beneficiary, pleaded guilty on Monday to charges of unlawfully taking the car, failing to remain stopped for the police, and reckless driving. He was under prison release conditions at the time.
Defence counsel Keith Owen said Waihape had been released from jail in June but had finally "snapped" over Christmas because of the lack of money. He used a coin to take a car in Peterborough Street. Although he had 14 previous convictions for taking vehicles, it was not a planned offence.
Waihape had a back injury which prevented him working and he had been given no training in prison for any other work he might take up.
Judge Farish said last year 19 people were killed when they fled the police after committing crimes. Seven were killed in Canterbury, and five were innocent bystanders. There had been another death in the first days of 2011.
She said Waihape had taken the car early on Sunday afternoon. The car owners heard him, reported the offence, and the police were quickly on his track. They gave up the chase very soon because of Waihape's high speed - up to 100kmh - but he kept up the reckless driving causing other drivers to get out of his way. "It was lucky nobody was killed," said the judge.
He was caught quickly when he parked the car and tried to get away on foot.
She said Waihape was institutionalised after a series of jail terms for similar offending, and this incident happened 14 days after he was in court for breaching his prison release conditions.
