A Melbourne man who spent 53 days in custody after his arrest for drink-driving on being pulled over in a car stolen in Wodonga has avoided further time behind bars.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
A magistrate's decision to instead place Ajanthan Manorancha on a community corrections order in turn opened the way for his extradition to Victoria.
Defence lawyer Chirag Patel said it had been indicated to him by Victoria Police that Manorancha, who came from the suburb of Cranbourne, would not receive a jail sentence on those matters.
IN OTHER NEWS:
"There are some mental health concerns and I recognise ... that he requires some assistance in the community," Mr Patel told Albury Local Court magistrate Richard Funston.
Manorancha, 29, pleaded guilty, via a video link to Junee jail, to driving with a mid-range prescribed concentration of alcohol.
The court heard how a woman parked her Mazda CX-5 at her work premises in Moloney Drive on October 21 about 6.45am.
Police said she placed her handbag in her work locker, then looked outside to see her vehicle being driven away from the car park.
The theft was immediately reported to police.
Manorancha was seen driving the car north on the Hume Freeway in Wodonga that same day about 7.15pm.
He was stopped by Victorian police soon after crossing into NSW, though NSW officers also attended.
Manorancha denied it was he who stole the car. He couldn't produce a driver's licence and told police he was homeless, but had been living briefly in Albury.
It was clear to police that Manorancha was "well-affected" by alcohol.
After a positive breath test he produced a breath analysis reading at Albury police station, on his arrest, of 0.140, almost three times the legal limit.
Mr Patel told the court that Manorancha, who was ostracised from his family, began drinking after "hearing voices in his head".
He had been receiving depot injections in Junee jail as he appeared to have schizophrenia.
Mr Funston disqualified Manorancha from driving for four months and convicted and fined him $600.
Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content:
- Bookmark
- Make sure you are signed up for our breaking and regular headlines newsletters
- Follow us on Twitter: @bordermail
- Follow us on Instagram @bordermail
- Follow us on Google News
