A man who repeatedly failed to answer bail for a string of more than 30 driving, theft, burglary and criminal damage charges has escaped a jail sentence.
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Christopher Verhaar, 22, appeared at the Ballarat Magistrates Court on Tuesday after failing to answer bail eight times for charges dating back to 2012. Defence lawyer Mike Wardell told the court Verhaar repeatedly breached bail after submerging himself in drugs to cope with anxiety over his offending.
Magistrate Jelena Popovic labelled his failure to answer bail for almost four years as “so dumb”.
The court heard Verhaar was pulled over by police more than six times for driving without a licence between 2012 and April this year. The driving offences spanned from Ballarat to Melbourne’s western suburbs.
The court was told Verhaar was repeatedly caught driving in different unregistered vehicles and had cannabis, amphetamines or stolen number plates hidden in the cars. He was first pulled over by police in Ballarat in August 2012 for driving without a licence.
Mr Wardell said Verhaar’s use of cannabis made him spiral him into a paranoid state of mind where he feared he would be jailed for his offences. Verhaar was in custody for 54 days when he appeared in court. He pleaded guilty to all charges.
He told the court Verhaar’s imprisonment had taught him the consequences of his offending and forced him out of a cycle of drug abuse.
In one incident in 2013, Verhaar was caught on CCTV footage destroying an electronic gaming machine at a hotel in Altona North. The court heard, he smashed the screen of the machine causing more than $1600 damage before fleeing the hotel. In May last year, Verhaar was one of a group of three men who attempted to break into a house in Tarneit before a witness called police and all men were arrested.
On April 14, Verhaar was in a ute with two other men which was pulled over by police at Grant Street, Bacchus Marsh. The court heard police found Verhaar hiding in the ute’s rear tray. He was arrested for outstanding warrants and remanded in custody.
Ms Popovic told Verhaar she took into account his remorse but warned him if he appeared before in court again he would face jail time. He was given a 12 month community corrections order, ordered to undergo a road trauma awareness program.He also had his license suspended for six months.
