Two men put lives in danger and terrified children during their day of terror driving around Wodonga, but they did not care.
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They will both have lengthy sentences to dry out from their drug use and reflect on the pain caused to innocent victims.
Raymond Williams, 28, was the leader of the pair and was sentenced to three years and 11 months jail, with a non-parole period of 18 months, for his role in the crimes on March 31.
He drove a stolen car on the wrong side of the road and into a ute on Bandiana Link Road, stole another car at knife point, nearly hit pedestrians and cyclists and tried to break into the home of a man and his five-year-old son.
His accomplice, Dean Honeysett, 25, took over the driving after the attempted burglary and damaged two cars as he tried to ram his way through traffic on Lincoln Causeway.
Judge Marilyn Harbison sentenced him to two years and 10 months jail, with a non-parole period of nine months.
They had served seven months in custody since their arrest.
Police finally stopped the pair at gunpoint, after damaging two of the stolen car’s tyres with stop sticks.
“Mr Honeysett, you should have stopped the car, instead you continued to keep driving on only two working tyres towards Albury,” Judge Harbison said. “The driving could have very easily ended tragically with someone losing their life.”
A bag of what appeared to be the drug ice and two capped syringes confirmed police suspicions they were affected by drugs.
Drug use was the only reason given by both men for their crimes, described by the judge as “extremely dangerous” and “disgraceful”.
“I have not heard anything on the plea that makes me believe you are ready to live a drug-free life,” she said.
Judge Harbison was particularly critical of the lack of care shown to the victims, including the five-year old at home when Williams smashed a hammer through a front door and a 14-year-old in the car rammed by Honeysett.
But she said the actual time to serve in custody before parole was shorter than normal because the men each had issues which needed addressing.
Williams suffered from depression and had an intellectual disability, while Honeysett needed drug rehabilitation and had shown a desire to work.
