A Mount Clear man who went on a wild drive with his partner and her three children to escape police, before crashing into another vehicle and fleeing, has been jailed.
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Joseph Haebich was sentenced to four years jail at the County Court at Ballarat on Friday for six separate incidents occurring last year.
He had pleaded guilty to 16 charges, including conduct endangering persons, assaulting an emergency worker on duty, unlicensed driving, failing to render assistance after a car accident burglary and four counts of theft, including car theft.
Judge Duncan Allen described Haebich's behaviour during a police chase on June 8 last year, which ended with a crash, as serious conduct and "highly reckless and dangerous" driving.
"All of which clearly placed innocent persons in danger of serious injury," Judge Allen said.
On June 8 last year Joseph Haebich was driving a stolen Holden Commodore, with his partner and her three children, when police saw him travelling 50km/h in a 40km/h zone on Gillies Street.
The court was told Haebich turned into Giot Drive when he reached speeds of 120km/h in a 40km/h road works zone, overtook three cars and almost collided with an oncoming car as he rounded a blind corner.
Police abandoned the pursuit and Haebich continued to drive the car, which was which but had been painted black, dangerously on the wrong side of Dowling Street and overtook a car.
The victim was turning right into the Minerdome car park when Haebich hit her car, causing it to spin around three times.
He fled on foot, jumping over two fences while his partner and her children tried to flee the scene. The court was told the victim did not receive serious injuries, but she currently experienced back pain and hearing loss.
The victim said through a statement, previously read to the court, she lost her car, confidence and independence.
"It's a time and situation I do not want to go through again. I do not want to feel scared and unsafe," the victim said.
The Special Operations Group arrested Haebich 12 days later at a Black Hill property. During the arrest at a Chisholm Street property on June 19, Haebich assaulted a Special Operations Group member.
In another incident between April 25 and 26, Haebich's fingerprints were located at a Ballarat North property where a television, fridge and Playstation was stolen.
The court was told the victim had been kidnapped by unknown persons for 24 hours when his property was stolen.
On May 20, Haebich attended a Sebastopol property, knocked on the front door and asked the victim where Ben was, before punching him three to four times to the face.
Later that night the victim said a white Holden Commodore being stolen from outside his property. It was not alleged Haebich stole the car but he was seen driving it, the court was told.
In sentencing, Judge Allen said he took into account Haebich's tragic, dysfunctional and chaotic childhood.
He said Haebich had constantly moved between towns, stopped attending school in year seven, started to use drugs at 12-years-old and became homeless at 13-years-old.
The judge said Haebich had experienced persistent depressive disorder and drug-induced psychosis. But he said Haebich had been drug-free since February and was motivated to rehabilitate because of his seven-year-old son.
Judge Allen said Haebich was young, accepted responsibility for his offending and "should not be written off".
"I can only hope you can use the balance of the time (in jail) to continue doing courses," Judge Allen said.
Haebich will be eligible for parole in three years and three months, while he has already served 486 days of the sentence.
He was disqualified from driving for four years. If he did not plead guilty, Judge Allen said Haebich would have received five years' jail with a non-parole period of four years.
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