An Invercargill man has been sent to prison for "behaving like an out of control 14-year-old" behind the wheel.Clint Huia Sorensen, 45, appeared in the Invercargill District Court this week after pleading guilty to dangerous driving and failing to stop.
Judge Thomas Ingram sentenced the defendant to two months’ imprisonment after taking into account his "appalling" driving history that started in the late 1990s and amounted to nine pages.
"I can honestly say I've never seen a worse one."
On October 2, Sorensen was driving in Centre St at more than 100kmh.
Police saw him swerving between lanes and activated their red and blue lights.
The defendant did not stop and continued at high speeds through a Regent St roundabout where he almost lost traction and entered a lateral slide.
Police observed him driving on the wrong side of the road towards an oncoming member of the public, before he finally pulled over.
Sorensen ran into an address in Tweed St and was found a short time later behind the Four Square supermarket.
The defendant held a learner licence and told police he was "picking up the vehicle for a friend".
"Mr Sorensen knows a whole lot better than to be doing this kind of nonsense at his age," Judge Ingram said.
"He’s still behaving like an out of control 14-year-old."
He recommended the defendant get some counselling to address underlying issues that may be causing this behaviour.
"I am nevertheless optimistic ... that you can make some progress in life," he said.
"There is a realistic path to a much better life for you."
He disqualified Sorensen from driving for 15 months.
