A man who led police on a chase from Macedon to Creswick, ramming police cars while being pursued, has been given jail time.
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Jesse Loughnane, 24, appeared at the Melbourne County Court on Thursday to be sentenced on a range of charges, including theft, reckless conduct endangering injury and exposing emergency workers to risk, after a police chase in 2021.
The incident occurred in the wake of similar offending in late 2020 and early 2021, from which Loughnane was on bail for at the time.
One of the bail conditions excluded Loughnane from entering the Ballarat region.
Between August 15 and 19, 2021, the court heard Loughnane committed a series of offences, including the theft of a Mercedes Benz GLC 250 from an address in Lake Wendouree, which was used in the commission of later crimes.
Loughnane stole petrol and diesel from multiple service stations in Ballarat during the five day period, and stole more than $800 of items from the Tommy Hilfiger section in Myer, in Ballarat.
The offending came to a head on the evening of August 19, 2021, when police tracked Loughnane down to a motel in Macedon.
The officers in an unmarked police car attempted to box Loughnane in to the motel's car park.
Loughnane responded by reversing the Mercedes into the driver's side of the police car and then speeding away.
He then sped through Woodend at about 100km/h, with a pedestrian having to jump out of the way of the stolen car.
Three police cars followed Loughnane as he went onto the Midland Highway, with multiple other drivers having to evade the stolen Mercedes as it criss-crossed into oncoming lanes.
The police cars got in position around the stolen Mercedes, with one police car in front and one behind.
The court heard Loughnane rammed into the police cars multiple times, before being brought to a stop on Creswick-Daylesford Road.
Police arrested Loughnane about 7.40pm.
In handing down his sentencing remarks, Judge Gavan Meredith referred to two psychologists reports - one from 2019 and one from 2023 - which were tendered in court.
In the documents, a psychologist diagnosed Loughnane with complex post-traumatic stress disorder and substance-abuse disorder.
The court also heard Loughnane was drug-affected at the time, struggling with heroin addiction since the age of 16.
Judge Meredith said while Loughnane's mental illnesses were likely a factor in his offending, they did not contribute so much as to provide a full defence, or reduce his culpability meaningfully.
"There's no genuine causal link between your diagnosed mental illnesses and your offending behaviour," Judge Meredith said.
"You appear to have gone on a drug-fuelled driving rampage."
The judge however was impressed by Loughnane's participation in a welding course while in prison, which would get him a Certificate III in Welding once completed.
Judge Meredith said Loughnane's age and new-skills would allow him to rehabilitate once released from prison, if he committed to do so.
"This is a very valuable skill and allows you to obtain meaningful employment," Judge Meredith said.
"I am cautiously optimistic regarding your rehabilitation prospects."
Loughnane was sentenced to three years and nine months' jail, with a 20-month non-parole period.
Had Loughnane not pleaded guilty to the offending, and was found guilty, he would have been given a sentence of five years and three months in prison, with a three year non-parole period.
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