A man who repeatedly sped between Melbourne and Wangaratta at up to 160km/h over a two-month period, including fleeing from police, has been sent to jail for five and a half years.
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John Kettyle, 31, pleaded guilty to more than 40 charges including reckless conduct endangering life over a series of incidents starting on April 1, 2016, where he was involved in a police pursuit driving through Wangaratta in a stolen black Ford Ranger.
The first chase began at 4.30am and reached 160km/h before police lost contact with the car.
They spotted the car again 12 hours later and officers thought they had blocked Kettyle in a street, but he drove past them.
As police chased him for about five kilometres along Wangaratta-Yarrawonga Road, they saw him drive on the wrong side of the road several times towards on-coming traffic and called off the pursuit.
Despite roadblocks being set up in Victoria and southern NSW, and the use of the police air wing unit, police could not locate Kettyle.
They tracked his mobile using phone towers and used speed cameras along the Hume Freeway to discover five more occasions between April 30 and May 24 where Kettyle drove between 145km/h and 150km/h between Wangaratta and his home in Melbourne.
He could be identified by distinctive tattoos on his hands that were captured by the cameras.
Kettyle was eventually arrested at Chelsea Police Station when he reported on bail on July 20, 2016.
He also pleaded guilty to offences committed in Melbourne including possessing a firearm and handling stolen goods.
Melbourne County Court heard Kettyle had a long criminal history and was assessed as having low intelligence, extreme depression, stimulant cannabis use disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder.
His partner also gave evidence that he self-medicated with the drug ice.
Judge Christopher Ryan sentenced Kettyle in December to a total of five years and six months in jail, minus the 517 days of pre-sentence detention. and cancelled his driver’s licences for four years.
“Your offending, both by way of the indictable offences and related summary offences, is a serious example of offending of its kind on a continuing basis,” he said.
“I regard your prospects for rehabilitation as guarded, taking into account your antecedents and that any prospect for rehabilitation that you might have is entirely dependent upon you becoming and remaining drug-free.”
