A FINE of a few hundred bucks has been dished to a man who was fanging it at double the signposted speed limit when he crashed his BMW through a high school hall, "freaked out" and fled.
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Jason James Riley, 31, pleaded guilty to a negligent driving charge in Tamworth Local Court, where he was sentenced earlier this week. He was fined $400 and handed a criminal conviction.
The court heard Riley was behind the wheel of a white BMW X5 late on September 24 when it careened off the road, over an embankment, through the grounds of McCarthy Catholic College and slammed into the school hall.
Defence solicitor Garry Johnston told the court Riley was tired and wanted to get home from a party when five people piled into the luxury SUV before midnight.
Mr Johnston said the speed limit had changed drastically on the way into town just before the sweeping right-hand bend on Tribe Street, near where the BMW left the road.
"It's a pretty serious example of a negligent driving matter," magistrate Julie Soars said.
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She told Riley it was lucky no one had been injured and urged him to reflect on what he could've done differently.
"Changing speeds are difficult but you have to do your very best, they are there for a reason," she said.
Police facts show that when Riley handed himself into Tamworth police the morning after the crash, he admitted he was going about 100km per hour at the time, despite being in a 50 zone.
"I was definitely speeding, I know I was speeding," he told police at the time.
The facts show he said it was "stupidity" and that he had totalled the BMW as well as "the building, by the looks of it".
Court documents show the BMW launched into the school and continued through the grounds for about 130m, hitting several fences and unearthing a large tree. It smashed into the north west corner of the school hall, spun around and caused the roof to collapse in on top of the BMW.
Police were notified by BMW headquarters that the vehicle had crashed.
Officers discovered the SUV inside the school hall with "extensive damage" to both it and the building, but couldn't find any occupants.
The police facts show Riley told officers that he had "freaked out" because it was his first "big accident".
The court heard the damage to the school had been covered by insurance.
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