Sanders submitted an apology letter to Judge Hix at sentencing, but the judge handed it back and told him to either keep it or throw it away.
The judge suggested Sanders write his own name on the letter and read it during difficult times.
High-speed getaway
The offending came to a head in March when police followed Sanders to his Christchurch home.
According to the summary of facts, Sanders performed a U-turn and drove into a bicycle lane between stationary vehicles before running a red light as police activated their lights.
He continued for several kilometres, at one point exceeding 100km/h in a 50km/h zone, before police deployed tyre deflation devices.
Even after his tyres were spiked, Sanders kept driving through multiple suburbs at high speed, weaving through traffic in dense fog while one tyre shredded.
Pattern of fleeing police
The March incident was not isolated.
Two days later, Sanders again failed to stop when police signalled for him to pull over. He accelerated to “well in excess” of 100km/h in a 50km/h zone, crossed the centre line, rounded a blind bend at speed and ran a red light before fleeing. Police did not pursue him.
A week earlier, while subject to a 7pm to 7am bail curfew, Sanders was spotted driving at 8pm in a vehicle with an expired warrant of fitness.
He briefly stopped but fled after police told him he was under arrest for breaching bail.
The offending stretched back months.
In October, Sanders drove away after police stopped him and discovered a glass bong in his vehicle. When officers later caught up with him, he said he became scared and drove off.
He also refused to provide fingerprints or have his photograph taken.
Other offending
Sanders was also involved in a range of other offending.
In December, he and a co-offender were found with a stolen $18,000 e-bike after attempting to sell it to a Christchurch bicycle shop.
When police arrested them, Sanders resisted and obstructed officers by pulling away.
He was also found in possession of 1.38g of methamphetamine.
In a separate incident, police found Sanders in possession of a stolen vehicle in March. The registration plates had been swapped with those from another vehicle.
‘Life spiralled out of control’
Defence lawyer Kiran Paima said Sanders suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder and needed to prioritise his health by listening to medical advice.
Paima said Sanders had relapsed into methamphetamine use and had been involved in a toxic relationship.
He submitted that imprisonment was appropriate because no suitable address was available for home detention.
“He is trying to be a father to his son.
“He is at an age when he needs to make adult decisions and seek help; his life spiralled out of control.”
Judge Hix sentenced Sanders to 20 months’ imprisonment with leave to apply for home detention.
Al Williams is an Open Justice reporter for the New Zealand Herald, based in Christchurch. He has worked in daily and community titles in New Zealand and overseas for the last 16 years. Most recently, he was editor of the Hauraki-Coromandel Post, based in Whangamatā. He was previously deputy editor of the Cook Islands News.
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