Man jailed for stolen car chase, driving wrong way through Albany roundabout and speeding 75km/h over limit

An Albany man who led police on a high-speed chase through Albany — including the wrong way through a roundabout and at speeds 75km/h over the limit — in a stolen car has been handed a year-long jail term. Gregory Ross Williams, 44, appeared in Albany Magistrates Court via video link from Albany Regional Prison on Tuesday, where he pleaded guilty to five charges against him. The charges were stealing a motor vehicle, reckless driving to escape police pursuit, giving false personal details to a public officer, having no authority to drive and failing to stop in circumstances of aggravation. Police prosecutor Sgt Warrick Walker told the court police saw a Holden Commodore, which had been recently stolen from an address on Rowley Road in Mt Clarence, at a fuel station on Albany Highway in McKail on April 15 last year. Police officers pulled up beside the car and attempted to speak to Williams, who was the driver. Williams sped away and accelerated south on Albany Highway, heading back towards the Albany CBD. Police activated their lights and sirens but Williams did not slow down, and police abandoned the chase. Later the same day, detectives driving an unmarked police car saw the Holden Commodore on Chester Pass Road in Willyung, and again activated their lights and sirens to indicate Williams should pull over. Instead, he accelerated away again, reaching a top speed of 135km/h on Chester Pass Road, which has a posted speed limit of 60km/h. Williams entered the large roundabout at the junction of Albany Highway and Chester Pass Road in the wrong direction, driving into oncoming traffic in the southbound lane of Albany Highway. Police continued to chase the car as Williams returned to the correct side of the road before turning back the other way towards the Albany CBD, still driving in excess of 100km/h. Police were forced to abandon the chase when he reached York Street and Williams again drove on the wrong side of the road. Williams was arrested in Lockyer a short time later, with the stolen car found abandoned in bushland close by. When he was arrested, he gave false personal details to police but officers quickly established his true identity. Sgt Walker said Williams’ dangerous actions required immediate imprisonment, with prior convictions also on his record for similar offending. Magistrate Rosemarie Myers agreed imprisonment was the only option, saying Williams had behaved in an “extremely dangerous” manner, putting other drivers on the road and pedestrians in the area at risk. Williams already had his driver’s license disqualified for life but was handed a 12-month prison term, backdated to April 16, making him already eligible for parole.