Stephen James Bextream, 32, of Shepparton, pleaded guilty in the Shepparton County Court Koori Court division to damaging an emergency services vehicle while driving dangerously, failing to stop while being pursued, two counts of theft, obtaining property by deception and possessing methamphetamines.
Bextream also pleaded guilty to summary charges of four counts of committing an indictable offence while on bail, four counts of unlicensed driving, three counts of driving an unregistered vehicle, failing to stop on police direction, failing to stop after an accident where property damage occurred, refusing to undergo an oral fluid test, possessing a prohibited weapon and possessing an emergency distress beacon without excuse.
Prosecutor Daryl Brown told the court police tried to pull Bextream over in Wanganui Rd in Shepparton on January 10, last year, but he sped off and a police pursuit was quickly stopped.
The court heard that officers used four police vehicles to force Bextream off the road when they went to arrest him in Albert St, Shepparton, two days later.
To get around police, Bextream drove on the footpath before his Holden Statesman and one of the police cars collided, writing off the police car, Mr Brown said.
Police Air Wing followed as Bextream drove the car in a dangerous manner through Shepparton streets, including driving at 120km/h in a 50km/h zone in St George’s Rd.
Bextream finally came to a stop in Gilchrist St and he was arrested.
The court heard he had a ziplock bag containing methamphetamines on him when he was arrested, and he also refused to undergo a breath test.
Mr Brown told the court that in a police interview, Bextream said he had driven around police on the driveway and that he did not recognise the unmarked police vehicles as belonging to police.
He also said his vehicle was rammed by the police car.
The court heard Bextream also stole a Milwaukee rattle gun — which is used to change car tyres — from a carport of a house in Winston St, Shepparton on November 25, 2022.
He was also involved in an incident on January 2, 2023, where he drove a co-offender to a house where his co-offender stole a Holden VE Commodore.
On the same morning, he stole items from a vehicle parked in Murchison, including $250 cash, house keys, a bank card and prescription medication.
He then used the stolen bankcard that day to pay for washing his car and the stolen car.
The court heard a police baton and a flare were also found by police after Bextream’s arrest.
Bextream’s defence barrister Graeme Davis told the court one of Bextream’s friends had died before the offending and death was “a trigger for drug use” by his client.
Speaking to the Elders in the sentencing conversation in Koori court, Bextream said he now had a child that he had not met yet and that he had “done a lot in the past 18 months to get myself right because I don’t want my son to grow up without a dad”.
He also spoke about doing a program in prison about intergenerational trauma and said he had learnt from that not to bottle things up.
Mr Davis said his client had ADHD, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder and had had a hard time during his 200 days in prison while waiting for this matter to come before the courts.
Bextream will be sentenced on the charges later this month.
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