Blake John Flower, 25, was consuming one gram of ice per week when he stole the weapons from a house in Axedale before causing a multi-vehicle crash in front of Lansell Plaza while running a red light.

He pleaded guilty in the Bendigo County Court on Tuesday to 14 charges.

The court heard Flower stole $68 in petrol from Apco Strathdale before attempting to steal cigarettes from the Junortoun Post Office just after 4am on November 22 last year.

He then stole an Isuzu ute from a property on Kimbolton Road in Axedale, and returned to the property soon after to steal a shotgun and three rifles.

Flower crashed the ute into a tree on Kimbolton Road and was picked up by his co-accused and taken to a nearby golf course where he fired two shots from the shotgun, causing damage to property.

They then drove to a property in Strathdale where Flower ground down the shotgun by 30 centimetres.

Flower intended to hide the weapons at his parents’ house in Castlemaine, but ran a red light in front of Lansell Square and crashed into two other cars, causing minor injuries.

He fled the scene and ran 300 metres down High Street in Kangaroo Flat with the four weapons before dumping them in a wheelie bin. Flower was arrested a short time later.

Two people involved in the crash gave statements to the court, describing their initial shock and the ongoing pain.

One driver said she was in fear for her life when she saw Flower exit his car armed with four guns.

“The fear of what was going to happen next was unbelievable,” she wrote.

The court heard Flower has a history of similar offending and volatile behaviour made worse by his dependence on ice and, more recently, heroin.

He has never received counselling for his drug issues, but provided clean urine samples to the court on Tuesday.

Prosecutor Andy Moore said parole authorities could assist Flower in recovering once he is released from jail. He has served 188 days in custody.

Judge Mark Dean said the community would benefit if Flower was given the opportunity to address his drug use and mental health issues.

“It seems to me he needs quite intensive treatment for mental health and for drugs,” he said.

“Unless steps are taken to rehabilitate him now, he will be lost to the criminal justice system.”

Flower will be sentenced in Bendigo on Friday.