A man who was caught driving while never having had a driver’s licence seven times has been placed on a community corrections order.
James Reece Rolfe, 36, pleaded guilty in Shepparton Magistrates’ Court to 24 charges including seven of using an unregistered vehicle, four of driving while disqualified, three of unlicensed driving, three of failing to answer bail, failing an oral fluid test and handling or receiving stolen goods.
Prosecutor Leading Senior Constable Brent O’Grady told the court police discovered Rolfe driving in Karook St, Cobram, without a licence on January 5, 2019.
As well as never having held a licence, he was disqualified from obtaining one for two years from November 2018.
The number plates on the vehicle also did not belong to it, the vehicle was unregistered and the driver’s side rear tyre was unroadworthy.
On May 24, 2019, he was again stopped by police, in Broadway St, Cobram, driving without a licence and in an unregistered vehicle.
He was also drug driving, telling police he had smoked “three cones” of cannabis the previous day.
On November 1, 2019, he was stopped by police driving an unregistered vehicle while unlicensed in Archer St, Shepparton.
The vehicle also had false plates on it and he was arrested for failing to answer bail after police checks discovered there were three arrest warrants out for him.
Rolfe was again picked up by police driving unlicensed and in an unregistered vehicle on the Murray Valley Hwy at Cobram on September 20, 2020.
The court was told he was driving unlicensed, in an unregistered vehicle and using a false number plate in Wattle Dve, Numurkah, on December 8, 2020, and again in Tocumwal Rd, Numurkah, on April 1, 2021.
Rolfe was stopped by police again without a licence and in an unregistered car on O’Kanes Rd, Numurkah, on July 4, 2021.
Rolfe’s solicitor Emma King said her client had had a “challenging and difficult childhood” and had been homeless for about three years.
However, she said he had recently moved into a house in Numurkah.
She also told the court Rolfe started using cannabis at a young age and methamphetamines had been his “drug of choice” for the past four or five years.
“He uses fairly heavily when he can get access to drugs,” Ms King said.
She asked for a community corrections order as her client needed to tackle “entrenched drug addiction, homelessness and poor mental health”.
“He has to tackle what is going on with him otherwise he will keep ending up back in court,” she said.
Magistrate David Faram blasted Rolfe for his driving.
“He continued to flout the law on multiple occasions when he was driving disqualified. It’s extraordinary,” Mr Faram said.
Mr Faram placed Rolfe on an 18-month community corrections order, with 50 hours of unpaid community work.
The order requires Rolfe to undergo assessment and treatment for drug use and dependency, with time spent completing programs able to count towards community work hours.
He was also disqualified from driving for 12 months and warned he could go to jail if he was caught driving unlicensed again.