Jordan Anderson pleaded guilty at the Ballarat Magistrates Court to 22 charges, including multiple counts of theft of a motor vehicle, drive in a dangerous manner and going equipped to steal.

In sentencing Anderson, magistrate Cynthia Toose said the community was sick of the epidemic of car thefts in the region.

She told Anderson, who breached a CCO with the offending, he was looking at a significant period of imprisonment because he had been given an opportunity to comply with the community-based order and hadn’t.

“He has children of his own, what message is he sending to the children?” she said.

“(And) how must those people (victims) feel? It’s a total disregard for anyone but himself.”

The court heard Anderson, who was a disqualified probationary driver, was involved in a short pursuit with police after police intercepted a car he was in on January 20.

Anderson pushed the female driver from the car, moved over to the driver’s seat and sped away from police.

In another incident on July 5, Anderson, who was driving a stolen car at the time, swerved towards police in an attempt to hit them.

He was also involved in the theft of and attempted theft of a number of cars in the Ballarat region.

Anderson’s defence lawyer, David Taminika, told the court his client’s offending escalated after the death of his father.

He said the tragedy lead to an indulgence in recreational drug use, with the offending occurring during a period of couch surfing and drug use.

Following any sentence, Mr Taminika said his client was due to move away from Ballarat and any inappropriate associates.

Anderson was sentenced to 10 months’ imprisonment, fined $1000 and disqualified from driving for 18 months.

He was also sentenced to three months’ jail, to be served concurrently, for the CCO breach. He has already served 53 days.