A 26-year-old who initially denied he was driving a stolen yellow Ford Mustang during a high-speed police chase on the Western Freeway in February, has been jailed for a year and eight months with a non-parole period of 13 months.
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Tarren Tedesco broke down in the dock in Ballarat Magistrate’s Court on Thursday after pleading guilty to several charges, including driving the new, unregistered $70,000 Mustang on 7 February at 7.45am.
Police prosecutor Sergeant Aimee Heal said the Mustang had been seen reaching speeds of 150km in an 80km roadworks zone, “swerving across three lanes of traffic” causing other drivers to take evasive and had reached an estimated speed of 200km/h near the Bacchus Marsh exit.
A police airwing tracked the Mustang, carrying three occupants, along the highway, observing it weaving in and out of traffic at speed and overtaking in the emergency lane, before crashing into a fence at Brookfield.
The three fled the car and airwing police captured “clear footage” of the accused running from the driver’s side, Sergeant Heal said.
A police search revealed 26.38gms of methamphetamine in the car console.
In April, Tedesco had rejected a sentence indication of 16 months’ jail with a minimum of 10 months.
On Thursday, defence lawyer Simon Tan described Tedesco’s abusive childhood and introduction to drugs at 14 at the hands of his father, who then abandoned him at 16, leaving him and his mother homeless.
“For someone so young, the responsibility and pressure of trying to keep everything going was overwhelming and his drug use escalated,” Mr Tan said.
“Anyone listening to your story about your father’s treatment could not fail to have sympathy,” Magistrate Gregory Robinson said.
“I am sympathetic and I note you are committed to makiing changes and to leading a better life.
“You have used your time in jail constructively and you have prospects, but of all the things the law seeks to do, keeping people safe is paramount,” he said.
“For all those innocent people who lead law-abiding lives, the circumstances of this day are truly shocking … the danger you posed to other road users, to police, your passsengers and yourself.”
“It is extraordinarily serious and it is purely luck that no one was killed.’’
“You have lived your life over the last few years as a menace to society – in NSW and in Victoria.”
“I have a responsibility to keep the public safe and to impose a deterrent and I must send a signal that it won’t be tolerated,” Mr Robinson said.
“Therefore, I consider a further term of imprisonment to be appropriate.”
Tedesco was also fined $1500 for the driving offences, disqualified from driving for three years and ordered to pay $780 for the fence.
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