A loaded rifle with its serial number filed off and painted gold was in the back of Roy John Riley’s car as he drove off from police at high speed across Hobart’s northern suburbs.
The 21-year-old was sentenced in the Supreme Court this month by Justice Stephen Estcourt after pleading guilty to dangerous driving, evading police, firearm offences and drug-driving.
The court heard the chase began in Bridgewater on January 9, 2025, when police noticed Riley’s white Subaru Liberty had broken brake lights and tried to pull him over.
Instead, Riley took off through heavy traffic, weaving between cars and overtaking on the wrong side of the road.
Police disengaged from the initial pursuit because his driving had become so dangerous, but the evasion was far from over.
Riley sped along the East Derwent Highway and drove on footpaths at Gagebrook to dodge road spikes.
Near the Risdon Brook roundabout, he overtook a 20-metre semi-trailer across double white lines, prompting the truck driver to call police out of fear for other road users.
He hit speeds of 120km/h in 80km/h zones and forced oncoming cars off Brinktop Road before officers finally spiked his tyres.
A police helicopter tracked the Subaru until it stopped in a driveway at Sorell, where Riley was arrested after a brief struggle.
Inside the car, police found the loaded .22 rifle in the rear footwell, along with two snap-lock bags of cannabis in the glove box and ammunition in the centre console.
Riley told police he had taken GHB, known as ‘Liquid G’, during the drive down from Launceston that morning.
He also tested positive for methylamphetamine and amphetamine.
Estcourt described the offending as “an appalling example of dangerous driving” and said it was “fortunate” no one had been hurt.
The court heard Riley had been offending since age 13 and was already on a suspended sentence for aggravated armed robbery handed down by Justice Robert Pearce in 2022.
Estcourt said the “only glimmer of light” was that Riley had stayed sober in custody.
Riley was jailed for 18 months with nine months suspended, backdated to his arrest, plus six months of his earlier suspended sentence activated.
He had been held in custody from his arrest in January 2025 until Estcourt released him on bail on May 1 ahead of sentencing.
Having already served the custodial portion of the new sentence, he walked from court subject to a two-year licence disqualification and 12 months of supervision.
