A teenager who drove 60km/h over the speed limit in residential Wendouree streets before crashing, told police he went out to have a good time before starting a new job.
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Jag Searle, 19, was driving an unregistered grey Holden Commodore when police first sighted him travelling at 80km/h in a 60km/h zone across Creswick Road on Norman Street on March 10.
A female passenger was seated beside Searle.
Police monitored him speeding at 124km/h in a 60km/h zone and began following him before losing sight of the vehicle when it turned into Hawthorn Grove.
But police saw Searle driving the car again when he hit a chicane, struck a concrete island and spun 180 degrees, before mounting a curb and colliding with a low brick fence in front of a property on Browns Parade.
Searle was not injured in the crash, was arrested and taken to the Ballarat Police Station.
At the station, he complained about soreness and an ambulance was called and he was taken to hospital for observation.
Searle made admissions to the offending, telling police he knew he was on bail and he was to comply with a curfew.
He said he was starting a new job that day and he was out having a good time before it started.
Searle, of Nerrina, pleaded guilty to the driving offences and dishonesty offences in a consolidated plea hearing at the Ballarat Magistrates' Court on Friday.
The court was told Searle's fingerprints were identified on seven different vehicles which had been stolen or attempted to be stolen across Ballarat, and one at Darley, between April last year and March this year.
Police prosecutor Leading Senior Constable Steve Kent said in one incident in January, unknown offenders stole a $30,000 vehicle from a Wendouree driveway.
The vehicle, along with her handbag, was stolen when the victim left her keys in the ignition and the door ajar and went inside her house. The car was found in Wendouree and Seale's fingerprints were identified on it.
Leading Senior Constable Kent said on February 29 between 11pm and 4am unknown offenders attended a Ballarat North house and gained entry through a rear sliding door which had been left partially open for the victim's dog.
He said the victim's wallet and car keys belonging to a Ford Falcon were taken from a table before the offenders walked down the hallway, went into the victim's bedroom while she slept and took a mobile phone from the bedside table.
The offenders left in the victim's car, which was later captured on CCTV at a Warrenheip service station with Searle sitting in the driver's seat. Almost $80 worth of fuel was stolen.
The next day, the stolen car was located at Wendouree and Searle's fingerprints were matched on the outside rear door.
Searle was arrested on April 20 and told police he could not remember the past five months of his life due to drug use.
The court was told Searle was convicted and sentenced to a 15 month community corrections order at the Ballarat Magistrates' Court on March 30, but his offending prior to this was unknown to the court and defence counsel.
Defence lawyer Scott Belcher said his client had not re-offended, he had stopped associating with negative peers, stopped using drugs and he was living with his mother.
"He hasn't put a foot wrong. He is a young person and has spent six weeks in custody (prior to being bailed)," Mr Belcher said.
Magistrate Ron Saines extended Searle's CCO imposed in March to an 18 month order with a requirement he complete 100 hours unpaid work, intensive supervision, drug treatment and rehabilitation.
Searle's driver's licence was cancelled and he was disqualified from driving for 12 months.
Mr Saines deferred sentencing Searle until February 17 but warned him he was a "long way of being satisfied that imprisonment is out of ranger here".
Searle's bail was extended with conditions he live at a stable address, abide by a curfew between 9pm and 6am and he doesn't use drugs.
He pleaded guilty to charges including driving in a manner dangerous.
