One rammer jailed for nine months, other has sentencing adjourned

Judge Gavan Meredith made the comment during the sentencing of Levi Tihi, 25, of Penshurst, and Tyrone Brown, 32, of Hamilton, in the Melbourne County Court on Thursday afternoon.

The men were high on GHB concentrate "juice" and methamphetamine when they crashed their way into the shopping centre on the night of March 28.

Tihi has been jailed for nine months, which will be followed by a two-year community corrections order involving supervision, assessment, testing, treatment and programs for alcohol and drug use as well as a road trauma awareness course.

He was also fined $300 and his driver's licence was already suspended for 20 months from January this year.

The 220 days he has spent in custody on remand will be counted as already served, leaving him less than two months to spend behind bars before being released.

Brown has had his sentencing adjourned for six months while he undertakes intensive rehabilitation.

Judge Meredith said Brown was at a critical stage in his life and had good prospects of leaving his criminal past behind.

He will be sentenced on March 31.

The judge said both men were surprised when shown footage of their offending, such was their drug addled state.

He said the raid had elements of premeditation, namely the removal of a vehicle's number plates, as well as one offender pulling a beanie over his face while the other donned a clown mask.

"I can only characterise this offending as an incident of drug-fuelled madness," Judge Meredith said.

The judge said the use of Brown's brother's vehicle, the damage to it and the shopping centre, the abandoning of the vehicle, while leaving items of personal identification in it, were indicative of the "bizarre nature of this escapade".

He said there were no similar cases, with other ram raids involving offenders smashing their way in and out of buildings focused on theft.

Judge Meredith said Brown and Tihi were intent on causing damage but not stealing anything.

Tihi has prior court appearances for violence, drugs, damage and driving offences and was on a corrections order at the time of the Gateway ramming.

Brown has prior court appearances for driving, drugs and burglary, was previously sentenced to six months' imprisonment for driving and damage property and in 2017 was jailed for four months after breaking in and stealing alcohol from a local footy club.

But the reason why the two men rammed Gateway Plaza will never be known because they claim they can't remember it happening.

The pair was filmed smoking an ice pipe, laughing and joking moments before the 2010 Ford Ranger utility smashed through the doors of the plaza.

They drove around for a few minutes before attempting to leave through the north foyer.

But the vehicle became stuck and CCTV showed Tihi failing to reverse back into the plaza a number of times.

Brown exited the car wearing a homemade balaclava and attempted to give Tihi directions but the vehicle remained stuck.

Tihi could then be seen leaving the vehicle, donning a clown mask, before the pair swapped seats.

Brown drove through a number of support beams before reversing back into the plaza. The vehicle can then be seen travelling south, smashing through another set of doors and a concrete bollard.

The damage bill has continued to increase since the March offending and is quoted as $182,229.64.

The pair pleaded guilty in the County Court last month to burglary and causing criminal damage.

Brown also pleaded guilty to making a false report to police and Tihi to driving while disqualified and possessing methamphetamine.

The court heard the pair were at a social gathering in Dunkeld on the night of March 28, consuming alcohol, methamphetamine and GHB.

Tihi then drove the Ford Ranger for an hour-and-a-half before arriving in Warrnambool about 11pm.

Judge Meredith previously questioned how Tihi could not remember the events, despite being capable of driving more than an hour, acquiring a clown mask to conceal his identity and removing the vehicle's registration plates prior to the ram raid.

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