Sydney P-plate teenager Jade Muscat learns her fate in court over speeding spree through NSW in $120,000 luxury Jaguar

A young P-plater busted driving over 200km/h in her luxury vehicle in a shocking speeding spree has been slapped with $1100 worth of fines and banned from driving for a year and three months.

Flanked by her grandmother and younger brother, Jade Muscat, 19, fronted Gundagai Local Court on Friday to learn her fate after pleading guilty to a string of driving offences.

The teenager, from Paddington in Sydney’s eastern suburbs, was caught speeding three times in one day at separate points along the Hume Highway, in regional southeast NSW, in her black Jaquar F-Pace on April 12 this year.

During the almost four-hour ordeal, she was first given a speeding ticket, on the second occasion her licence was disqualified and her number plates confiscated, then she was ultimately arrested after being chased down by police.

Dressed in a dark blazer and matching slacks with her hair pulled back high in a ponytail, Muscat sat listening intently to other cases as she waited for her matter to be heard.

As the court began preparing the order of Friday’s proceedings, Muscat’s lawyer announced he would be appearing on behalf of the Sydney teenager.

Magistrate Elaine Truscott replied that they should “leave the best (case) until last”, with Muscat’s lawyer noting the case was “one of the most unusual” he had ever been involved with.

The court heard Muscat, the middle of three children, lives with her younger brother at her grandmother’s home in Paddington.

Her lawyer said she does not know her father, while her mother, who suffers from severe mental issues, lives in Coogee.

He said her older brother also suffers from mental health issues, including schizophrenia, and Muscat, who struggles with ADHD and dyslexia, had been involved with youth mental health service, HeadSpace.

The court heard Muscat cares for her 80-year-old grandmother and currently has two offers of employment at hospitality venues at Five Ways, a shopping hub in the heart of Paddington.

Muscat’s lawyer said she had experienced extreme hardship, with her mother and brother both having mental issues.

He said Muscat had graduated from school and had a strong work ethic, having saved $150,000.

Asked by Truscott how much the high powered sports car cost, the lawyer said “$120,000”.

Truscott said she was “horrified” by the position that such a young girl was in and told Muscat she could have been killed.

However, she accepted that the incidents could have been a result of “extreme stress” and or a “manic episode” and noted Muscat had attended mental health management at St Vincent’s Hospital.

Truscott commended Muscat on the actions she had taken since the incident and said she understood the teenager’s priority was to look after her grandmother.

Truscott further stressed that Muscat needed to manage her own issues so that she could provide the care her grandmother needs.

In total, Muscat was sentenced on five charges: driving a motor vehicle with a suspended licence, two counts of driving dangerously, driving while her number plates were confiscated, and tampering with a number-plate confiscation notice.

She had initially pleaded guilty to a sixth charge, exceeding more than 45km/h in a class A vehicle, but the offence was dismissed prior to Friday’s hearing.

Muscat was ordered to pay $300 for driving while suspended, $400 for operating a vehicle while her number plates were disqualified, and $400 for tampering with a number plate confiscation notice.

As part of her sentence, her licence has also been disqualified for 15 months from August 15, she has been placed on an 18 month community corrections order, and she must continue to receive treatment and counselling from a psychologist.

Truscott also ordered that Muscat’s car be impounded for four months, backdated to April, meaning it is now eligible for release.