A Culcairn man with a track record of getting about in stolen cars has had his sentence cut because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Josh Milgate, 23, had launched a severity appeal against a sentence handed down by Albury Local Court magistrate Miranda Moody.
The term on the charge of being carried in conveyance taken without consent of the owner was eight months.
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District Court Judge Sean Grant reduced the non-parole period by one month to three months.
When partly combined with another term imposed on unrelated charges, Milgate now has a release date of March 5.
Defence lawyer David Mulligan argued on Friday that the totality of the sentence imposed - of two years, in combination with the other term - was too severe.
But Judge Grant did not quibble with the sentence and was swayed only by the argument on COVID-19.
"He's got a long history of doing things he shouldn't be doing," he said.
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Judge Grant found merit in Mr Mulligan's submission that Milgate's sentence had been more onerous because of the impact of COVID-19 on prisoners.
Mr Mulligan had argued that restrictions such as prisoners not being able to have visits to prevent the virus spreading had made Milgate's incarceration harsher than what the imposed term suggested.
Judge Grant said he agreed and reduced the non-parole period, to which Milgate - appearing via a video link to jail - said: "Thank you, your honour."
But the decision came with a warning.
"Mr Milgate, you have to stop driving other persons' cars," he said.
Judge Grant told Milgate that if he offended in such a way again "I'll make sure the sentence is longer than two years".
