Albany man jailed after police chase ends in horrific high-speed crash that almost killed female passenger

A 37-year-old Albany man has been jailed for 41/2 years after a high-speed police chase which ended in a crash that almost killed his female passenger. Winston Clive Williams appeared in the Albany District Court on Monday, where Judge Christopher Stevenson told him he was lucky he had not killed himself, his passenger or bystanders during the chase. State prosecutor Gary Huggins told the court that on March 13, Williams reached speeds of 142km/h in a 60km/h zone after police tried to stop him at Spencer Park Shopping Centre. Williams lost control of his passenger’s high-powered Subaru WRX on Ulster Road, smashing into a wooden power pole which brought down live powerlines as it fell across the road. Ulster Road was closed while emergency services tried to clear the powerlines and remove the two occupants from the car. The court was told that Williams’ passenger was “off her face on meth, cannabis and alcohol” in the passenger seat and had told Williams to “go baby, I’ve got drugs on me” when police activated their sirens. “The objective seriousness and criminality of the offending is extremely high by reason of the danger that you created and the risk that you created for the other innocent members of the public, and in particular those who were themselves in vehicles on the road,” Mr Huggins said. The female passenger was left with a fractured pelvis, femur, humerus, collarbone, ribs and vertebrae, as well as jaw damage and nerve injuries. She requires ongoing treatment and currently walks with the aid of a stick. Defence counsel Elizabeth Hamilton said at the time of the incident -Williams was having trouble dealing with the breakdown of a previous -relationship. “Mr Williams did what he always does and he seeks solace in the comfort of illicit substances,” she said. Judge Christopher Stevenson said Williams had shown “complete disregard for other users of the road”. “Fortunately for you on this occasion, the injuries sustained by your passenger did not result in death and the injuries sustained by yourself, namely a broken arm did not result in death,” he said. “And more fortunately for you, others were not injured or killed.” Williams’prison sentence of 41/2 years was backdated to when he was discharged from hospital on March 18.