Shaun Campbell, 26, pleaded guilty in Bendigo Magistrates Court on Friday to 19 charges including eight counts of burglary, three car thefts, speeding and arson.

The Kangaroo Flat man stole almost $20,000 worth of items including cash, electronics and cars during a crime spree in March this year.

Motacare Auto Service Centre, BGs Pools & Spa, a storage facility in East Bendigo and the Strathfieldsaye Post Office were among the businesses targeted.

Police found one of three stolen cars was found burned out in Keanes Rd, Long Gully.

Police prosecutor Leading Senior Constable Chris Jones told the Campbell also led officers on a six minute pursuit through central Bendigo in the early hours of March 15.

He said police were doing routine checks in Hargreaves St when they saw Campbell standing near a car parked opposite the Old Crown Hotel.

Campbell then jumped into the car and sped off, running a red light at the intersection of High and Williamson Streets and continuing to Diamond Hill Road in Kangaroo Flat where police terminated the pursuit.

The court heard the offending breached a suspended sentence and community corrections order.

Defence lawyer Megan Aumuir told the court her client had been doing well for several months after being released from jail after a three-month stint inside, but had fallen back into a "ferocious" drug addiction.

She said the father-of-two had been acting on others' instructions, but was resigned to the knowledge he'd be going back to jail.

But she urged the court to impose a parole period to allow her client to reintegrate into society when released.

Magistrate Bruce Cottrill said Campbell's offending was callous and showed no regard for other people's property.

He said it was also similar to the dozens of charges for which he had received a community corrections order and suspended sentence.

Mr Cottrill jailed Campbell for 18 months, reinstated four months of the suspended sentence and resentenced him to four months jail for breaching the corrections order.

Campbell will spend 16 months in jail before being eligible for parole.