A 24-year-old Wendouree man who torched a car has been jailed.
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The arson attack was one of 18 charges Luke Rogan, of Ulswater Road, pleaded guilty to in the Ballarat Magistrates Court on Tuesday.
The court heard police saw the burning car on Taronga Road as they travelled the Midland Highway at Mount Rowan on August 9 last year.
As they approached the burning car, the accused and a co-accused were seen driving away from the scene.
Rogan’s lawyer, David Taminika, said while his client actively knew what was going on and did not try to stop it, he was not the principal offender.
Rogan also faced a number of weapons offences after police found samurai swords and knives in his bedroom during a search in November.
He told police he bought the weapons from a local market because he thought they were “cool”.
Mr Taminika told the court the weapons were readily available for purchase, but his client did not realise it was prohibited without correct exemptions.
Between August 11 last year and January 19 this year, Rogan was also charged with multiple counts of driving with a suspended licence and on one occasion ice was detected in his system.
Rogan also breached two community corrections orders (CCO) with absences and reoffending.
Mr Taminika told the court Rogan wanted to deal with the matters and move on with his life. He said the 33 days in pre-sentence detention had given his client time to reflect.
He added Rogan told him: “(Prison) has always been threatened … now that it’s been made real, I know what my obligations are”.
Mr Taminika also told the court Rogan’s behaviour was originally influenced by poor peers and recreational drug use.
But over the last six months he said Rogan had contemplated a lot of positive things such as getting a job.
He added Rogan was now in a better position to reattempt a CCO.
But magistrate Mark Stratmann disagreed another attempt of a CCO would be appropriate.
He sentenced Rogan to four months imprisonment, fined him $2600 and disqualified him from driving for 12 months on the criminal matters.
He was also resentenced and jailed for two months and fined $250 for the first breach of CCO and jailed concurrently and fined $600 for the second breach.
