An ice-addicted, schizophrenic man who took Albury police on two pursuits in a day had slept on just five nights in the previous month and was "a very disturbed individual" at the time.
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Nathan Patrick Sullivan had thought, defence lawyer Daniel Maxton said on Friday, "he was going to die" if he allowed himself to fall asleep.
Sullivan was diagnosed as a young child with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, had learning difficulties and began using drugs when he was nine, going from cannabis to MDMA and then, at 22, methamphetamine.
"He indicates to me that this is when things really fell apart," Mr Maxton told magistrate Rodney Brender.
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The now 28-year-old was one of three men who recently were the subject of appeals from police on both sides of the border over a string of crimes across Albury-Wodonga.
Sullivan was on parole for an aggravated break and enter that resulted in him being sentenced in 2017 to more than three years' jail.
He was to have been sentenced in Albury Local Court on Friday, but Mr Brender deferred this to more closely consider issues relating to Sullivan's balance of parole.
While rehabilitation was a longer-term issue for Sullivan, he said, "I just have to focus on punishment".
The first pursuit was on the morning of July 6 after police were making inquiries at a Thurgoona Street block of public housing units about a stolen blue Commodore.
Sullivan turned up in the car, saw police and quickly reversed, then sped off around several central Albury residential streets.
A second pursuit through central Albury happened about 7.40pm, with Sullivan getting out at Albury railway station, pulling out the knife and pointing it in a threatening manner towards police.
Mr Brender highlighted the extreme danger posed by Sullivan driving "on the wrong side of the road" and, in so doing, forcing many motorists to pull over.
Sentencing was adjourned to September 13, when Mr Brender will also consider a police application for forfeiture of the car.