A Geelong man who rammed a police divisional van and went on a spate of thefts throughout Corangamite Shire has been jailed for 22 months.
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James Leigh Nichols, 26, of Geelong, has served six of the 22 months handed to him in Warrnambool Magistrates Court on Tuesday.
He will serve a non-parole period of 14 months.
During an earlier contested hearing, Nichols was found guilty of 19 charges including burglary, theft, unlawful assault and ramming a police divisional van.
On Tuesday he pleaded guilty to a further five charges that included trespassing, possess methamphetamine and resist a police officer.
Nichols was involved in burglaries and thefts in Coden, Terang and at the Warrnambool City Memorial Bowls Club where a handbag was stolen in May last year.
He was also involved in the theft of five vehicles, including a $70,000 hire car, and was the driver of a stolen white Nissan Navara ute that was involved in a dangerous police pursuit in Warrnambool on June 7 last year.
Nichols clipped a police divisional van before driving more than 40km/h over the speed limit in an attempt to evade police in a four kilometre chase.
During the pursuit, co-accused Steven Bausch, 28, of Laverock Road, Warrnambool, threw tools –including spanners, shifters, and hammers – at the van from a rear passenger window of the ute.
The Navara then drove straight towards the divisional van. Even though the van took evasive action, the ute collided with the rear of the van and officers did not continue the pursuit.
At the time of the incident, Nichols and Bausch were also accompanied by co-accused Chloe Harris, 20, of Wooles Avenue, Warrnambool.
Harris was jailed for 31 months in February after being charged with 50 offences, which included breaching a community corrections order and trafficking ice.
Bausch, who is a legally blind ice user, was found guilty of assaulting two on duty police officers and the theft of cars - including a $5000 Holden commodore sedan and a 2016 Holden Caprice valued at $60,000.
He was sentenced alongside Nichols on Tuesday.
Bausch was ordered to serve five months in prison, which was counted as time served.
Magistrate Franz Holzer said Bausch’s offending was disproportionate to that of his co-accused.
