Jack Thomas Rodwell: Harvey man caught speeding at 95km/h through a school zone loses licence

A Harvey man is counting the cost of rushing to work after sleeping in one morning, after being caught speeding at 95km/h in a school zone. Jack Thomas Rodwell was sentenced at Harvey Magistrates Court on February 6 after pleading guilty to one charge of reckless driving exceeding 45km/h in a confiscation zone and one charge of failing to stop at a stop sign. Police prosecutor Sgt Tim Concannon told the court that at 8.33am on December 13 last year, Rodwell was driving east along Uduc Road in a Holden Commodore when he approached the intersection of South Western Highway and failed to come to a stop. The 27-year-old then proceeded to turn right on to South Western Highway and headed south. A speed camera set up on the highway clocked Mr Rodwell doing 95km/h, in what was an active 40km/h school zone for Harvey Senior High School students. He made full admissions when questioned by police and told them “I was late to work — I didn’t realise I was going that fast”. Mr Rodwell’s defence lawyer told the court he had slept in during his second week working at the Kemerton lithium plant at the time of the incident. He said his client had been driving within the limit until after he had driven past the school crossing just south of the Uduc Road-South Western Highway intersection. Magistrate Michelle Harries accepted the defence’s argument of Mr Rodwell being remorseful, but described the offending as a “serious offence”. In her sentencing remarks, Magistrate Harries noted the risks of Mr Rodwell’s behaviour. “Had a child run across the road, and you had killed a child, that would have been life-changing,” she said. Magistrate Harries also stated the high speed could have put Mr Rodwell’s safety in danger had he lost control of the vehicle. He was fined $1600 for the reckless driving offence, $300 for failure to stop at a stop sign and ordered to pay $264.30 in costs. Mr Rodwell was disqualified from driving for 12 months.