Thief off to prison

Magistrate loses patience

A GEELONG crook ran out of chances yesterday and was sent to jail after driving a stolen car while disqualified from the roads last month.

“It’s only six weeks,” Tyson Harrison told his tearful supporters as he was taken into custody from the courtroom.

Magistrate Michael Coghlan said the 23-year-old had been put on a community corrections order early last year for a series of crimes — including burglary, theft, unlicensed driving, unlawful assault and criminal damage — but had not honoured the commitments of the order or completed even one hour of the community work he was required to perform.

He was also caught driving while disqualified twice last year while on that order.

Harrison told Mr Coghlan those offences were committed on motorbikes.

“I don’t care if you were on a motorbike or a moon space vehicle, you were driving a vehicle while disqualified,” the magistrate responded.

“In my view now it’s time to go to jail.”

The court was told Harrison was arrested at a Geelong West home on May 4 with the keys to a Commodore that had been stolen earlier that week.

He told police he’d been given the car in the early hours of that morning and drove it to Drysdale and Geelong West knowing it was stolen, but was not the person who stole it.

“You don’t have to be the original thief, you’re the thief any time you drive that car. That’s what the law says,” Mr Coghlan said.

Harrison pleaded guilty to counts of theft of a motor car, driving while disqualified and breaches of court orders.

Mr Coghlan jailed him for 42 days, varied details of his corrections order and disqualified him from driving for six months.