A man became involved in police chases twice within a week, with one reaching speeds of 170km/h, in what has been described by a magistrate as part of a “prolific” crime spree.
Chace Johnathyn Monaghan, 23, of Numurkah, pleaded guilty in Shepparton Magistrates’ Court to charges including reckless conduct endangering life, reckless conduct endangering serious injury, two counts of failing to stop a vehicle on police request, two counts of theft of a vehicle, two of tampering with a vehicle and three counts of driving disqualified.
He also pleaded guilty to seven counts of theft, eight counts of committing an indictable offence while on bail and two counts of handling/receiving/retaining stolen goods.
The court heard Monaghan forced another car off the road as he drove up the wrong side of the road towards it in a stolen Ford Courier ute while being pursued by police along Vickers Rd, Nagambie, on December 30, 2020.
The pursuit was called off because it was too dangerous.
The vehicle was found abandoned at the intersection of Tatura-Rushworth Rd and Darby Rd, Waranga Shores, on January 5, 2021, after it had been involved in a crash.
In a second police chase, police attempted to stop Monaghan when they spotted him in a stolen Mercedes hatchback in Numurkah.
He drove at a police car in Meiklejohn St, with police having to take evasive action to avoid being hit by the vehicle, which had been stolen from Brighton East.
A police pursuit started in Quinn St, where Monaghan was driving about 120km/h.
Police pursued him on to the Goulburn Valley Hwy, but the chase was terminated because of a significant risk to the public.
He was spotted again by police in Shepparton, before the police helicopter was called to follow him.
The airwing followed him to near Echuca, with Monaghan seen driving at speeds up to 170km/h.
A tyre deflation device was deployed on the Northern Hwy at Rochester and he stopped and was arrested on the highway near Prairie-Rochester Rd at Ballendella.
Magistrate Mary-Anne MacCallum described his offending as a “prolific spree of crime”.
As well as the two police chases, the court heard Monaghan was also involved in multiple petrol drive-offs — at Seymour on December 26, 2020, worth $88.85; Stanhope two days later ($64); 34 litres at Yarra Glen on January 11, 2021; Alexandra on January 12 ($55.05); Goulburn Weir on January 13 ($60.80); and Avenel on January 4 ($56).
Also on January 4, Monaghan and others stole an unregistered dirt bike from a house in Mangalore, which was later seen in the back of the stolen Ford Courier ute in Seymour.
He was also the driver of a vehicle where its passenger was spotted opening the door of another vehicle at 2.55pm on January 4, as well trying door handles of an Audi Q5 at a Killingworth home at 3.55am.
An MG Roadster sports car was also tampered with in Killingworth in the early hours of the same morning.
In sentencing Monaghan, Ms MacCallum said she took into account mitigating circumstances, including Monaghan’s young age and his childhood that saw his father die when he was young before he was abandoned by his mother when he was a teenager, which led to his substance abuse.
Monaghan has already spent 43 days in pre-sentence detention on these matters and the defence urged the magistrate to sentence Monaghan to a prison sentence that would run concurrent with one he is already serving.
Ms MacCallum sentenced Monaghan to 18 months in prison to run concurrently with a four-year sentence he is already serving for matters heard in the County Court.
He was also disqualified from driving, with the disqualification also to run concurrently with his earlier County Court sentence.