Tarren Tedesco successfully appealed a 20-month jail sentence, with a non-parole period of 13 months, at the County Court in Ballarat on Thursday.

In reducing his sentence, Judge Mark Dean said he accepted Tedesco had had a disadvantaged background, which included his father introducing him to the drug ice at age 14, and he had completed rehabilitation courses in custody.

“I received a letter from (Tedesco) and evidence from his partner that his prospects for rehabilitation are reasonable,” the judge said.

The court was told Tedesco stole the powerful vehicle from an Essendon car yard, days before he reached the dangerous high speeds on the morning of February 7, 2018.

With two young passengers, Tedesco drove the unregistered $70,000 Mustang on the Western Freeway through Ballarat and made a u-turn at Trawalla.

Tedesco was travelling at speeds of 210km/h at the Gordon off-ramp before he drove through an 80km/h roadworks zone at 150km.

He passed a police vehicle in the right-hand side emergency lane before exiting the freeway and driving through Myrniong and back onto the freeway where he passed another police vehicle.

A police helicopter tracked the yellow Mustang 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 occupants fled the car and airwing police captured footage of Tedesco running from the driver’s side.

A police search of the vehicle after his arrest revealed 26.38gms of methamphetamine in the centre console.

In April, Tedesco had rejected a sentence indication of 16 months’ jail with a minimum of 10 months but six months later he pleaded guilty to seven charges, including reckless conduct endangering life, car theft, possessing the drug ice and driving unlicensed.

He was sentenced to a 12-month jail sentence, with a non-parole period of 13 months, at the Ballarat Magistrates Court in October.

But he appealed the severity of the sentence on Thursday, telling the court he was dedicated to changing his life.

Speaking from the witness stand, Tedesco said he had been using the drug ice when he got behind the wheel of the Mustang and he had made a horrible mistake.

He said he had completed courses addressing rehabilitation while in custody and ensured the court he had changed.

Judge Dean told Tedesco it wasn’t about him but members of the community who he put at risk during the high-speed car journey.

The judge said Tedesco’s offending warranted a jail term and not a community corrections order as submitted by his barrister.

“These are very serious offences and the community needs to be protected,” Judge Dean said.

The judge resentenced Tedesco to 20 months in jail with a non-parole period of 10 months. He has already served 281 days pre-sentence detention.

His driver’s licence was disqualified for two years, he was fined $1500 and ordered to pay Barry Plant real estate $522 compensation.

“Your non-parole period has been reduce by three months,” Judge Dean said.

“You will be eligible for parole in a short time and when you are released the ball will squarely be in your court.”

Rhiannon McIntyre, 21, and Trent Wilson-Hickey, 20, were passengers in the Mustang and pleaded guilty in June to possessing the ice found in the car.