Springdale Heights man's 78-day jail spell ends, in community on supervised order

West John Paul Goehner has been placed on a 12-month community correction order over a series of crimes after it was found he would benefit considerably from ongoing assistance.

Key to that, Albury Local Court has heard, was mental health counselling and treatment and illicit drug rehabilitation.

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Defence lawyer Angus Lingham submitted to magistrate Sally McLaughlin on Wednesday that his client and the community would be best served by the 36-year-old being dealt with under Section 14 of the Mental Health and Cognitive Impairment Forensic Provisions Act 2020.

Mr Lingham said Goehner was diagnosed with schizophrenia at 17 and had lapsed into offending and the use of methamphetamine after suddenly refusing to take his medication late last year.

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But Ms McLaughlin said while the "very intelligent" Goehner "suffers clearly from a significant mental health issue", an order with mental health and illicit drug treatment was the best option.

Goehner, who spent 78 days' bail refused, previously pleaded guilty to charges including police pursuit, custody of a knife in a public place, resist police, assault police for punching an officer to the head and possess a prohibited drug, namely 1,4-butanediol.

The pursuit was on March 31, not long after Goehner returned to the family home after his release from Sydney's Westmead Hospital, where he had been a voluntary patient.

Soon after he was listed as a missing person, so police went to the home about 11.25am.

Goehner fled the house, got in his car and took off, breaking various speed limits in trying to avoid police, who out of safety concerns stopped when Goehner's silver Holden Commodore reached 150km/h in an 80km/h speed zone in Lavington.

He was later admitted to the Nolan House mental health facility at Albury hospital.

Goehner was disqualified from driving for 12 months and fined $2260.

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