What is the maximum penalty for predatory driving in NSW?
Maximum penalty. Imprisonment for 5 years. The Judicial Commission Local Court Bench Book lists s 51A as a Table 1 offence with a Local Court maximum of 100 penalty units or 2 years.
A maximum is the ceiling the law sets for the worst category of case. It is not what a court is likely to impose, and it is not a prediction about any particular matter.
What the charge covers
This offence covers a driver who is chasing another vehicle or driving close to it and who drives in a way that causes or threatens a collision involving that other vehicle. The prosecution must prove the driver intended, by that course of conduct, to cause actual bodily harm to a person in the other vehicle. The section defines an impact broadly to include hitting any other vehicle, a person or an object, and also the vehicle overturning or leaving the road.
How it is dealt with
Indictable, listed by the Judicial Commission as a Table 1 offence, so it may be dealt with summarily in the Local Court (Local Court maximum 100 penalty units or 2 years)
Where these figures come from
Every figure on this page was taken from the legislation or the Judicial Commission of New South Wales, not from secondary summaries:
Legislation changes. Figures are general as at publication; confirm the current position with a lawyer.
This page is general information about NSW law, not legal advice about your matter. Whether a charge can be defended, and what a court is likely to do, depends on the evidence and the circumstances.
Related charges
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