A magistrate has warned a Ballarat farmhand he faces a future where he spends more time in jail than out, after he led police on multiple pursuits during a 2023 crime spree.
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Matthew Hume appeared in Ballarat Magistrates' Court via video link from custody, where he pleaded guilty to 10 charges relating to a string of crimes committed between March and August 2023.
On March 13, 2023, police attempted to intercept Hume while he was driving a blue Nissan through Sebastopol. When police activated their lights behind, Hume accelerated at speed to escape the police.
Officers later questioned Hume, after apprehending him in Edwards Street, Sebastopol.
In a separate incident on July 21, 2023, Hume visited a BP service station in Delacombe at 1:08am, where he filled his car up with about 21 litres of petrol before leaving without paying.
Later in the morning, police were called to perform a welfare check on Hume who was sleeping in his car on the side of the road in Magpie, but when woken by officers, he fled into nearby bushland.
At about 12:50pm on the same day, Hume broke into a home in Magpie where he stole items from a shed and the victim's Toyota Hilux which he used to flee the property.
The incident was caught on CCTV, and the car was later found by police in Sebastopol.
Hume was also charged with squatting in a Ballarat property in May, after the owner found a blow up mattress, receipts with Hume's name on them and clothing belonging to him - identified via DNA swabs - at their address.
After being found in a Winter Valley garage, Hume tried to run from police, but was tackled to the ground and kicked out at officers in an attempt to resist arrest.
Defence counsel for Hume said he was afraid of police after allegedly being assaulted during an arrest in 2017.
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They said the offending was "chaotic and ill-thought out", and occurred during a period of increased drug use and poor mental health.
Hume suffers from several mental health conditions including anxiety and bi-polar disorders, but was described as someone with a strong work history who enjoyed hard labour, such as working on dairy and potato farms.
Magistrate Ronald Saines said he would have Hume assessed for a Community Corrections Order, but that he would have to prioritise the conditions of the order over any employment he might receive.
"You will spend more time in jail than out of jail in the next few years until you change your demeanor," he said.
The matter was adjourned until October 23, 2023.
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