Ricky Doubleday returned to court this week for a range of offences, including a police pursuit, which magistrate Ian Watkins said had been lucky not to involve a police car being rammed.

The court heard Doubleday was driving a white BMW in May 2020 when he was spotted by police.

The car had false plates and officers tried to intercept the car.

"For reasons which are not entirely apparent, you elected to drive away and accelerated to obscene speeds," Mr Watkins said.

It was estimated the car hit 100km/h in a 60km/h residential area.

Doubleday performed a U-turn and faced police "nose to nose", but the car stalled.

"If your vehicle hadn't stalled and struck that police car, you'd be facing a mandatory term of imprisonment today," the magistrate said.

Doubleday's home was searched in March last year and GHB was found.

He was also caught with ice at Elgins Hotel in February 2020.

Mr Watkins told the Tallangatta man it was in his interests, and the community's interests, that he be rehabilitated.

He had considered a jail term but said a community corrections order with 160 hours of work was appropriate, and cancelled his licence for one year.

Doubleday was armed with a garden stake near the Wodonga leisure centre when Billy Winter was killed on July 27, 2008.

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Doubleday and Ronald Croxford had been talking outside the venue in the early hours of the morning when Croxford produced a knife.

Doubleday and Croxford argued with Mr Winter and the group moved towards Leisure Centre Drive.

The pair were armed with garden stakes, and Doubleday used his to hit the late man at least once.

He later told police Mr Winter had "come towards us with the knife" and he hit him, "otherwise it would've been me that was f---in' cut up, dead".

The late man suffered severe head injuries.

Doubleday, who was 22 at the time of the killing, was found guilty of defensive homicide.

He was ordered to serve six years in jail with a nine-year maximum in the Wodonga Supreme Court in 2009.

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