A Canberra magistrate has expressed sheer disbelief that no pedestrians, cyclists or motorists were seriously injured or killed during a dramatic police pursuit that saw a driver weaving through traffic on the wrong side of the road before making a desperate dive into Lake Burley Griffin.
Wild dash cam footage shocks courtroom
On Thursday, November 13, 2025, the ACT Magistrates Court viewed five minutes of police dash cam footage capturing the final moments of a half-hour chase that began across the border. The video showed a black ute towing a trailer engaging in increasingly dangerous behaviour through Canberra's streets.
The footage depicted the vehicle speeding through multiple police cars, driving on the wrong side of the road against traffic, crossing grassy areas, and mounting pedestrian and bike paths in a reckless attempt to evade capture.
Desperate escape into the lake
The dramatic incident reached its climax when the driver, 39-year-old John Warren Westaway, allegedly brought the ute to an abrupt stop along a walking path before exiting the vehicle, running and diving headfirst into the adjacent Lake Burley Griffin.
Special Magistrate Lucinda Wilson did not mince words when reacting to the footage, stating: "Any of those pedestrians or pushbike riders and any of those drivers lawfully using the road ... could have been harmed or killed by the defendant's conduct."
Bail denied amid 'extremely strong' evidence
Westaway faced his first bail application since being arrested over his alleged involvement in the morning pursuit but was denied conditional freedom. The magistrate described the evidence against him as "extremely strong" and declared him "far too great a risk to the community" to be granted bail.
The accused man faces multiple charges including:
- Aggravated dangerous driving
- Driving while disqualified
- Unauthorised possession of a prohibited firearm
- Driving with a prescribed drug in oral fluid
Defence barrister Ben Barrack had argued for his client's release to a residential rehabilitation facility, citing Westaway's drug addiction as the root cause of the dangerous behaviour. "What that video demonstrated was the danger that presents when people go a long time with an entrenched drug addiction and don't address it," Mr Barrack told the court.
Prosecutor Madeleine Gallo countered that the footage demonstrated the "extreme lengths" Westaway was willing to go to avoid police capture. The court heard the April pursuit through the territory began because of an outstanding NSW warrant, and Westaway also faces separate aggravated burglary charges dating back to 2019, which he has denied.
With a history of breaching court orders, Westaway remains in custody and is set to return to court at a later date.
