Auckland man Jasmeet Singh had five previous convictions for driving while disqualified when he fled police at 125km/h and became airborne with his partner and an infant in the car. Singh was driving in Queenstown with his partner and a child when he was pulled over by a police officer on Shotover St on January 27. When police realised there was a warrant for his arrest because he’d failed to appear in court for previous charges, Singh “suddenly accelerated”, forcing the officer to jump back to avoid being hit or dragged. He drove on the wrong side of the road and failed to give way when turning on to Gorge Rd at speed, narrowly avoiding a collision. While doing 125km/h in a 70km/h zone, he hit an undulation in the road and his car ”became airborne”, with all four wheels leaving the road. He was later arrested in Arthur’s Pt, about 6km from where he was pulled over. He has now appeared the Queenstown District Court via AVL from Auckland, for sentencing before Judge Mark Williams. The court heard CCTV footage showed the infant did not suffer any ill effects and seemed “quite happy” when removed from the vehicle, despite Singh’s driving. “Your driving could easily be described as appalling,” Judge Williams said. Sing was sentenced to 12 months in prison for multiple driving charges, as well as five months for ill treatment of a child for driving recklessly with a child in the car. He was also sentenced for three charges that occurred in February 2024 when he was stopped at a police checkpoint in South Auckland, was identified as a disqualified driver and took off at speed. He later told police his wife was in pain and needed to be taken to hospital. He failed to appear in court relating to these charges, including missing a judge-alone trial. “You have an extensive criminal history,” Judge Williams said. Judge Williams gave a starting point of 16 months’ imprisonment but gave a 25% discount for guilty pleas. Brianna McIlraith is a Queenstown-based reporter for Open Justice covering courts in the lower South Island. She has been a journalist since 2018 and has had a strong interest in business and financial journalism.