A 26-year-old motorbike rider from Stuart Town who was affected by a cocktail of drugs when he crashed into an oncoming wheelchair taxi while speeding around a corner has faced Orange Local Court. Harley Capri, of Burrendong Way, avoided serious injury despite his helmet flying off when he crossed to the wrong side of the road and hit the wheelchair taxi at Mount Hutton on November 11, 2021. According to police, Capri was travelling between 140km/h and 160km/h in a 60km/h zone on a Suzuki GSX650F and was still speeding when when he crossed double unbroken lines on a left hand bend and hit the taxi. He was thrown from the motorbike and although his helmet came off, his only visible injury was a small laceration at the top of his head and minor grazing to his back and hands. He was taken to John Hunter Hospital where he was kept overnight for scans and observation for internal injuries but was released at 3pm the next day without injuries. However, the motorbike was written off due to damage caused by the crash and the taxi had a damaged tyre and panels on the driver's side, the airbags were deployed and there was possible damage to an axle. No one in the taxi was injured. A blood sample was taken while Capri was in hospital and methamphetamine, cannabis, THC acid and morphine were found in his blood at the time of the crash. An expert who analysed the sample determined that he would have been under the influence of methamphetamine and cannabis, which would have impaired his driving. Solicitor Taras Maksymczuk said the crash took place only months after a person he was very close to died unexpectedly in an accident after their vehicle broke down on the side of the road and they were hit by a passing truck. "He took it quite badly and it led him to take drugs, which he otherwise would not have done," Mr Maksymczuk said. "There's no doubt that the matters before the court are quite serious." However, he urged the court to consider material supplied in a Sentence Assessment Report that detailed his background and assessed his risk of future re-offending as low. He also said Capri had left his past behind to start fresh in Orange. Magistrate Susan McGowan noted how dangerous his actions were. "He could have written himself off, and everybody else," she said. Ms McGowan convicted Capri and placed him on a 12-month Community Correction Order for driving under the influence of drugs and she gave him an identical sentence that also requires him to complete 100 hours of community service for dangerous driving. At the time of the crash Capri's driver's licence was also disqualified which led to another concurrent 12-month CCO and two-year driving disqualification. He'd also had a driver's licence application refused which saw him get yet another concurrent 12-month CCO and six-month driving disqualification. The motorbike was unregistered and uninsured which gained him two $300 fines and he was also convicted without further penalty for having the wrong number plates fixed to the motorbike and for riding the bike without paying a road tax. Ms McGowan also fined Capri $450 for possession of a rusty extendable baton at Broadmeadow, in Newcastle, on July 30, 2021. To read more stories, download the Central Western Daily news app in the Apple Store or Google Play.
