Alleged car thief lucky to be alive
AN ALLEGED car thief thought he was going to die during a police pursuit through Geelong last week.
Blake Laity, 20, appeared in custody in Geelong Magistrates’ Court on Friday sporting multiple cuts and bruises on his face and neck.
The court heard the Hamlyn Heights man was a passenger in a stolen car that crashed at high speed in Newtown early last Wednesday morning.
Mr Laity is facing multiple charges including car theft and trafficking ice, after he was found with 4.29g of the drug.
Police prosecutor Senior Constable Jo Allen told the court officers first spotted the car parked at 7-Eleven in North Geelong, where they noticed two men inside who appeared heavily drug affected.
When one of the officers exited his vehicle and approached the car, it allegedly reversed at high speed — narrowly missing the sergeant.
Sen-Constable Allen said the car then led police on a chase along Thompson Rd, initially with its headlights off.
She said the car veered onto the wrong side of the road at various stages as it headed south towards Newtown.
At one stage, the car reached an estimated speed of 120km/h in a 50km/h zone on a wet Shannon Ave.
The high-speed allegedly continued, with the car running a red light at the Noble St intersection before police lost sight of it.
But it was spotted moments later on its roof after it ran over an embankment and crashed into trees near Marnock Rd.
Police found Mr Laity and the alleged driver outside the car bleeding and requesting medical help.
Sen-Constable Allen said Mr Laity told officers he was not wearing a seatbelt and feared he was going to die during the pursuit.
“He stated: ‘The kind of speeds we were doing, we knew we were f---ed’,” she said.
“After the crash, he said he thought the car should’ve ended up in the Barwon River.”
The court heard the pair had permission to borrow the car from a man for one hour, but failed to return it.
Sen-Constable Allen said the man was “practically begging” for the car to be returned through a series of text messages.
Defence lawyer Simon O’Halloran said his client’s visible injuries were evidence of how close he came to dying in the crash.
“By looking at his face, he’s lucky to be alive,” he said.
“There were poles and trees — it’s just so lucky they’re alive and walking.”
Magistrate Ann McGarvie released the man on strict conditions, including to live at an address in Leopold and to abide by a night-time curfew.
Co-accused Jacob Callick, who is accused of driving the stolen car, has been charged with reckless conduct endangering life.