Mad spree was ‘doomed’
A CRIMINAL’S dangerous joy ride in a stolen car was “doomed to fail”, after police found medication and ID cards labelled with his name in the abandoned vehicle.
Jamie William Lang’s crime spree began May 4, 2022 with a fuel steal from a service station at Vincent, but it would not end until he was found slumped over the steering wheel of a stolen car 48 hours later.
The 43-year-old, who has spent 23 out of the past 24 years in jail, pleaded guilty from custody in Townsville Magistrates Court to charges including dangerous operation of a vehicle, trespass, driving without a licence and stealing.
Police prosecutor Lisa Plessius told the court that 13 hours after Lang and a woman drove off after pumping $135.65 of diesel fuel into a Landcruiser, he was spotted driving erratically at a Majors Creek property.
A resident, who tried to barricade Lang into the property before police could arrive, saw Lang ram the fence multiple times in an effort to escape.
Lang then took off at high speeds further into the property, hitting fences along the way before driving it into a gully, wedging the car.
When police found the car they saw medication and ID cards with Lang’s name and details on them.
At 7.18am on May 7, a car which had been stolen from a nearby property near the Majors Creek residence was found parked at the Coral Coast Caravan Park, with Lang slumped over the steering wheel.
His lawyer, Phil Rennick said Lang’s crime spree had been “doomed to fail”.
Magistrate Steven Mosch described the offending as “madness”. “What started out with a relatively low-level offence, became more serious once inside a stolen car,” Mr Mosch said.
The court heard that after becoming addicted to heroin at a young age, and spending decades behind bars, Lang had become institutionalised.
Mr Rennick said Lang had now been clean for two years and was serving a prison sentence with a full-time release date in 2024.
He was sentenced to 18 months’ jail with a parole eligibility date of October 14 this year.
He was ordered off the roads for six months.