A DRIVER was travelling at almost double the speed limit when he evaded police in Kyabram, a court has heard.
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Samuel James McLoughlan, 42, appeared in the Bendigo Magistrates' Court on Monday where he pleaded guilty to the dangerous driving and drug offences.
The court heard in December last year, McLoughlan was spraying graffiti around the Rushworth area, including swastikas and abusive messages.
On December 15, police were patrolling the Kyabram area when they saw the 42-year-old driving a Peugeot with cloned number plates.
The officers activated their lights and sirens in an effort to intercept McLoughlan but he sped off at 151km/h in an 80km/h zone.
The police pulled out of the chase due to safety concerns. McLoughlan held a disqualified driver's licence at the time of the offending.
Officers went to the 42-year-old's home the next day and saw him try to flee over the back fence. He was eventually located and arrested.
McLoughlan was searched and police found a small ziplock bag with 0.02 grams of methamphetamine in his possession.
During his police interview, the 42-year-old admitted to being the driver of the Peugeot.
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Magistrate Trieu Huynh said the driving was "quite egregious".
Defence lawyer Robert Morgan agreed, saying his client fully accepted it was "appalling" behaviour and he could have injured or killed someone.
Mr Morgan said McLoughlan's offending was linked to poor mental health and a drug addiction which had "ravaged his life".
The defence lawyer said the 42-year-old had already served 53 days of pre-sentence detention, so time served with a community corrections order was within range.
But Mr Huynh said McLoughlan would need to spend more time in jail for the serious offending.
The magistrate said a corrections order would be appropriate after the 42-year-old served his prison sentence.
The case was adjourned to later this month so McLoughlan could undergo a corrections order and psychological assessment.
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Tara Cosoleto
Journalist covering courts and general news at the Bendigo Advertiser.
Journalist covering courts and general news at the Bendigo Advertiser.
