A BALLARAT drug user who was sentenced to one year in jail for stealing motor vehicles, using false registration plates, a burglary and robbery will walk free from jail on Friday.
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Aaron Scott Kerseboom appealed the severity of the sentence, which was imposed at the Ballarat Magistrates Court in September and included a non-parole period of six months.
The 26-year-old was re-sentenced at the County Court at Ballarat on Friday to 121 days in jail, declared as already served, and placed on a two-year community correction order.
Judge Duncan Allen said Kerseboom showed a willingness to change because he had good full-time employment, accommodation, family support and wanted to engage with Corrections Victoria and treat his drug addiction.
"I am going to give you a go again but there won't be anymore after this," Judge Allen said.
"You have demonstrated you can do the right thing."
Kerseboom thanked the judge.
"I think this time around things will be different," Kerseboom said from the dock. "I appreciate the opportunity."
At a plea hearing in September, Kerseboom pleaded guilty to numerous charges stemming from a crime spree from September to November last year.
Between September 28 and 30, he robbed a Selkirk Drive factory of power tools worth several thousand dollars and a $12,000 white utility vehicle.
Weeks later on October 17 at 10pm, Kerseboom entered an Albert Street home in Sebastopol by removing the flywire and opened an unlocked sliding window.
Three victims were asleep while Kerseboom stole car keys for a 2001 Mitsubishi sedan. The car was later found in Frenchman's Lane with the back wheels stolen.
In another incident on November 21 Kerseboom and an unknown female drove a Nissan vehicle with false registration plates to Geelong.
The court had been told they entered a sports store on Moorabool Street at 2.20pm and selected a number of items worth $560 and left.
A sales assistant followed the pair to Foster Street and called out to Kerseboom, who walked towards the victim and gestured with his right hand asking, "Do you wanna get stabbed?" while suggesting he had a rusty knife.
Judge Allen said Kerseboom would remain disqualified from driving for two years. He warned Kerseboom not to re-offend over the next two years while he was on the CCO.
The conditions on Kerseboom's CCO includes treatment for drug use, programs to reduce offending, supervision and judicial monitoring.
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