A teenager with a “problem with cyclists” who deliberately drove within centimetres of them has failed to have his sentence overturned, with a Supreme Court judge ruling the punishment was appropriate.
The 17-year-old, who cannot be named, was convicted of two counts of reckless driving after targeting groups of cyclists on two separate occasions along the West Tamar Highway at Riverside in late 2023 and early 2024.
Justice Robert Pearce dismissed the appeal this month, upholding a two-month suspended detention order and a two-year licence disqualification.
The court heard the teen drove his sedan within 30 centimetres of four cyclists on December 19, 2023, before swerving directly in front of them.
His passenger shouted at the riders to “get off the road”.
About a month later, he did the same thing to four different cyclists on the same stretch of road, forcing them onto the verge.
When police interviewed him, he admitted his driving was “deliberate and reckless” and said he had a “problem with cyclists”.
Justice Pearce said the offending was serious and carried obvious risks.
“A slight deviation by you from your intended path or a slight deviation by a rider from the path anticipated by you could have been disastrous,” he said, quoting the magistrate’s sentencing remarks.
“Cyclists are entitled to use roads without being put at risk in the way that you put them at risk on these occasions.”
The teen’s lawyers argued the sentence was too harsh and that the magistrate should have obtained a full pre-sentence report before imposing detention.
Justice Pearce rejected both arguments, finding the magistrate had properly considered the teen’s age, lack of prior convictions, employment and remorse.
However, he said those factors were “subordinate” to the need for deterrence, given the seriousness of the offending.
“The risk of death or serious injury to one or more of the eight cyclists involved was obvious,” Justice Pearce said.
“Indeed, the applicant drove intending to use his vehicle to frighten or intimidate so as to give effect to his apparent displeasure that they were on the road.”
