CFS volunteer Christopher Harvey sentenced to six year limiting term for violent Mid North rampage

A CFS volunteer who bit a young mum before trying to carjack a vehicle with a baby inside has been released into the community on licence and issued an apology.

A man who rammed a family off the road before committing a violent carjacking has been released into the community on licence and issued a heartfelt apology to his victims.

Christopher Lachlan Mpumelelo Harvey, 23, was found not guilty in August of the Mid North incident due to mental incompetence, namely his schizophrenia.

Harvey had previously pleaded guilty to multiple charges, including three counts of creating likelihood of serious harm but Judge Michael Durrant allowed him to withdraw those pleas at an earlier hearing.

During sentencing on Friday, the court heard Harvey began to act aggressively and violently towards his family in September 2020 before he grabbed his car keys and drove off.

A couple and their 10-week-old daughter had pulled over at Tarlee when they heard a “crazy, clown laugh”.

Christopher Harvey was sentenced to a six year limiting term for the Mid North rampage. Photo: Lucy Rutherford

Christopher Harvey leaves the District Court after an earlier hearing. Photographer NCA NewsWire/Emma Brasier

Harvey began to bang on the side of their car and the family quickly drove off.

“You pursued the vehicle about 150km/h, you rear ended into the back of the car, causing it to shunt to the wrong side of the road,” Judge Durrant said.

Harvey also crashed into the car of another family – who had their young son in their vehicle – before the father went to Harvey’s aid.

Harvey then punched and started choking the father and bit the mother on the arm while attempting to steal their car.

The father removed their young baby before Harvey fled in their car.

Harvey was arrested after breaking into the Stockport home of Alan Harris at 2am who bandaged his cut foot and called police.

Nick Vadasz, previously told the court his client was in the midst of a psychotic episode after consuming MDMA, commonly known as ecstasy, a few days before the incidents.

The mother who was bitten on the arm had described the incident as “the worst night of her entire life” in a victim impact statement read to the court in 2021.

She said she had “never felt more scared, or helpless”.

“We were attacked for being good Samaritans after stopping and getting out of the car to see if he was all right because we thought it might be someone having a medical event,” she said.

The court heard Harvey, who was born in South Africa, was adopted by his father and moved to Australia in 2011.

The court heard Harvey was previously a cadet at Port Wakefield CFS and was now in full time employment.

Judge Durrant imposed a limiting term of six years and six months – a period equal to the prison sentence a well offender would have received for the same offence.

He released Harvey into the community on licence, with a supervision order.

Outside court, Harvey issued a public apology to his victims – which he also read to the court and described by Judge Durrant as “heartfelt”.

Harvey said he was sorry for putting the families in harm’s way.

“For making you fear for your lives, making you feel vulnerable and making you wary of helping strangers like the good Samaritans you were trying to be,” he said.