By MICHELLE HERBISON
A FORMER Breakwater man with a “pretty ordinary” criminal history has been jailed for a string of offences including a high-speed police chase.
Anthony Judge, 24, appeared via video link at Geelong Magistrates’ Court this week on charges relating to dangerous driving, drink-driving, failing to stop on request, riding a motorbike without a helmet while disqualified, possessing a weapon, theft, obtaining property by deception and failing to answer bail.
Police prosecutor Leading Senior Constable Geoff Lamb told the court Judge drove 140km/hr and “accelerated at a fast rate of speed” through red lights and away from police as they pursued him on the Princes Highway on 12 March, 2011.
Police caught Judge and a passenger riding an unregistered motorbike without helmets along Fellmongers Rd, Whittington, On 27 January, 2012, Snr Const Lamb said.
The court heard Judge had a blood alcohol reading of .074.
Police had also charged Judge with being drunk at Newcomb.
“Police found him lying on the ground in Regent St. A large meat cleaver was concealed in the back of his pants,” Snr Const Lamb told the court.
Subsequent police inquiries found that Judge was wanted for the theft of three rings from his girlfriend and her brother, worth $2700, $1200 and $1000.
Judge sold the rings and four DVD boxed sets from his girlfriend’s home for $600 total to Cash Converters, the court heard.
Defence Lawyer Shane Balkin, for Judge, labelled the crimes “not the worst matters in the world”.
“Despite his poor previous history, these matters appear to be opportunistic and are not the most serious charges he’s ever faced.”
Judge took anti-depression medication and had “problems with alcohol”, Mr Balkin said.
Judge’s girlfriend and grandmother’s appearance in court to support him was evidence of a “glimmering” that he might be capable of leading a normal life after imprisonment, Mr Balkin told the court.
Magistrate Michael Coghlan imprisoned Judge for eight months, disqualified him from driving for 18 months and lectured him on police pursuits.
“In 2000 and 2011 there were 219 police pursuit deaths. Invariably the selfishness of the person attempting to avoid police interception puts others at risk.”
