Notorious Hooning Group Member Faces Consequences for Endangering Lives at Truganina and More.
A young member of a notorious hooning group in Melbourne’s southeast, Cooper Peatling, has been sentenced to three months in jail and fined $3,000 for his reckless and dangerous driving activities. The 25-year-old learner driver, who was associated with the South East Skids, appeared in the Dandenong Magistrates Court and pleaded guilty to several charges, including endangering lives, property damage, motor vehicle theft, and theft from motor vehicles.
Some of the meet-ups occurred in Truganina
Peatling was part of a group that organized hoon meetups using social media, infamous for their activities such as burnouts, skids, and circle work, which generated excessive noise and thick smoke. In 2021, Peatling was captured on video participating in multiple hoon events across the southeastern suburbs, including Truganina, Keysborough, and Lynbrook. He often used his grandmother’s white Mazda van for these events, with passengers hanging out of the vehicle and a large crowd of spectators.
These reckless gatherings took place in close proximity to pedestrians and other vehicles, and Peatling took measures to conceal his license plates to avoid identification by the police. Some of these events attracted 50-60 cars, with attendees recording and sharing the hooning antics on platforms like TikTok. These videos depicted a chaotic and dangerous scene, characterized by what Magistrate John O’Callaghan described as a “very uncontrolled environment.”
Adding to the seriousness of the situation, Peatling was only operating with a learner’s permit during these events. He initially resisted providing the police with access to his phone but eventually complied. However, all photos and videos related to the hooning had been deleted, suggesting an attempt to erase evidence of his actions. Furthermore, police discovered a Snapchat message encouraging participants to abandon their plans and join the reckless driving activities.
Peatling was a well-known figure within the hooning community, often referred to as “the one-stop tyre shop” for his habit of delivering car jacks and spare tires to other hooning participants. In addition to his involvement in the hooning events, he faced additional charges for driving on a learner’s permit without a supervising driver, running a stop sign in Kingsbury, and performing a “fishtail” maneuver on Burwood Hwy in Ferntree Gully.
During the sentencing, multiple members of Peatling’s family were visibly emotional, shedding tears as his punishment was handed down. Although Magistrate John O’Callaghan believed Peatling was genuinely remorseful for his actions, he emphasized that actions have consequences. Peatling’s lawyer, Maria Cananzi, argued that her client had changed his attitude since the incidents and had taken steps to distance himself from this dangerous path.
