Hoon allegedly drove from Bendigo to Ballarat in less than an hour during pursuit

Blake Clarke, 27, appeared in the Ballarat Magistrates' Court on charges including theft of motor vehicle, dangerous driving while pursued by police and reckless conduct endangering life, after spending the past 48 days in custody.

A police informant told the court Clarke allegedly stole a ute from a property in Knowsley about 6.30am on March 4, 2024.

After locating Clarke using a tracker stored in the stolen vehicle, police allegedly observed the 27-year-old driving south on the Midland Highway at a speed of about 150kmh.

When police attempted to intercept Clarke on the Calder Freeway near Harcourt, he allegedly increased his speed to 180kmh, and avoided officers while overtaking other drivers on the wrong side of the road.

Police subsequently aborted the pursuit owing to "extreme danger" to the public, and the car was instead tracked by helicopter.

It's estimated by police the 27-year-old made the approximately 120 kilometre journey from the outskirts of Bendigo to Ballarat in less than an hour.

Upon reaching the city, Clarke allegedly drove on the wrong side of the road and through parklands, and narrowly missed a cyclist who was riding in a bike lane.

On Mair Street, Clarke drove over stop-sticks, but the 27-year-old allegedly continued to drive at excessive speeds on the car's rims.

Clarke abandoned the car on Magpie Street in Golden Point, where he allegedly lit a fire in the vehicle's footwell before fleeing.

Shortly afterwards, he was arrested by officers while hiding in a bush, and was allegedly drug affected.

When police attended the heavily damaged car, they extinguished the fire, and allegedly found bolt cutters and two stolen registration plates inside.

At the time of the incident, Clarke was ineligible to drive as his licence was disqualified for four years in 2021.

After his arrest, Clarke made a no comment interview and allegedly returned a positive blood test for methamphetamine.

The court also heard Clarke was wanted for multiple offences he committed between December 2023 and February 2024, which included alleged drug possession and the alleged theft of a car from a property in Linton.

Police opposed Clarke's bail application as he had committed the high-speed car chase while on bail for other matters.

Because of this, the prosecutor said he would likely endanger the community if released from custody.

During cross-examination of the police informant, Clarke's lawyer argued their client wasn't responsible for the damage to the stolen car, but rather it was the police's responsibility for deploying the stop sticks.

"The damage to the underside of the vehicle has occurred after the tyre deflation devices," they said.

"The car's been driven on its rims, one could conclude police have caused the damage to the vehicle."

The lawyer also said the evidence against their client was circumstantial, and suggested there were other people involved in the theft of the car and high-speed pursuit.

Magistrate Michelle Hodgson said the allegations against Clarke were "very concerning", but she would grant the 27-year-old bail under strict conditions as he was a vulnerable person.

"I accept there is a real risk he will endanger the welfare of another person, commit further offences, and not surrender to bail, however I'm satisfied conditions can be imposed to reduce risk to an acceptable level," she said.

To reduce this risk, Ms Hodgson said Clarke must submit to a curfew between 10pm and 6am, report to police three times a week, and not drive.

When addressing the 27-year-old, she told him this would be his last chance to prove he could follow bail conditions.

"You need to understand you were very close to not getting bail today, you need to understand this is your opportunity to avoid further sentence," she said.

"I would not like your chances of getting bail again if you don't comply with the conditions I impose."

Clarke will return to court for a subsequent hearing on May 2.