A YOUNG Warrnambool man with a life-threatening illness who put the safety of a service station attendant at risk during a petrol drive-off has been jailed for a fortnight.
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Tate Storey, 21, of Raglan Parade, pleaded guilty charges in the Warrnambool Magistrates Court to reckless conduct endangering serious injury, theft, using false number plates, driving an unregistered car, failing to answer bail and two counts of driving while disqualified.
Storey was convicted, fined $2500 and jailed for a total of 14 days.
He was in court and put on a community corrections order just 27 days before the petrol drive-off.
Details of his illness were not discussed in court.
Police said that at 7.20pm on June 16 Storey attended at a BP service station and filled up his 1998 Holden Statesman with $94 of petrol before attempting to drive off.
The service station attendant became aware Storey was not going to pay, rushed outside, attempted to open the driver's side door and slapped his hand on the windscreen.
Storey narrowly missed him and the attendant was in danger of being pinned against a fuel bowser or a bollard.
Eight days later he was caught driving an unregistered dirt motorbike.
He also failed to appear in court on August 21.
Defence counsel Jessica Tinetti said her client had a range of issues and he accepted his driving had been dangerous.
She said Storey paid back the $94 to the petrol station and her client had wanted to leave town because an associate had threatened to stab him in the throat.
Ms Tinetti said because of Storey's serious health condition, a term of imprisonment would be much more onerous for him.
Magistrate Ross Maxted said 55 per cent of community corrections orders were breached, they were seen as a walk in the park but if jail was seen as the outcome for failing to comply then they would be taken much more seriously by offenders.
He said the Sentencing Advisory Council last month outlined concerns that CCOs were not working.
Mr Maxted said Storey was also on another corrections order that was imposed by the county court on charges including burglary, theft and handling stolen goods.
He said it appeared that Storey had given up hope, his offending was self-destructive, he put the attendant at risk and then repeatedly denied any involvement in the incident.
The magistrate said the community was sick of petrol drive-offs and similar offending.
