Dean Harold Adams, 25, of Bethania sentenced for using stolen vehicle

The owner of a stolen car had to jump out of the way as it was driven from his yard and rammed through gates by a desperate criminal, a court has heard.

An owner had to jump for safety as a desperate criminal and his accomplice stole his vehicle from his yard when police struck, a court has heard.

Appearing at Beenleigh Magistrates Court on Monday Dean Harold Adams, 25, of Bethania pleaded guilty to 11 charges.

They included unlawful use of a vehicle, wilful damage, obstructing police, entering a premises and committing an indictable offence and possession of ammunition and burglary tools.

The court heard police were called to the sighting of a stolen vehicle at a Roselea Ave residence in Bahrs Scrub on October 31, 2020 when Adams and another male took drastic measures.

In an attempt to escape police they ran into an unsuspecting resident’s yard, found his vehicle with keys still in the ignition and launched their getaway.

Dean Harold Adams, 25, of Bethania pleaded guilty to 11 charges at Beenleigh Magistrates Court. Picture: Facebook.

Police prosecutor Tim Wise said the owner placed himself in front of his vehicle but had to jump out of the way when Adams and his accomplice drove at him.

The court heard it was not clear which man had been driving when they smashed the stolen vehicle through a metal gate.

Adams was arrested some months later on December 16 but not before jumping from a balcony to escape police.

According to the prosecution, officers found a balaclava, a black baton, burglary tools, a syringe and ammunition at his residence.

The offending came on the back of a five-page criminal and three-page traffic history, for which Adams had spent most of the last 5.5 years in prison since turning adult, the court heard.

Defence solicitor Tayler Bowdren acknowledged the serious nature of her client’s unlawful use of the vehicle and explained it was driven by a longstanding addiction to meth.

The court heard Adams had spent 516 days in pre-sentence custody and was already serving a two-year prison sentence for two previous offences of using stolen vehicles.

A submission that the defendant be convicted and not further punished by the defence, given his extensive pre-sentence custody, was rejected by magistrate Louise Shephard who noted the offence was too serious.

Adams was sentenced to 18 months’ prison and granted an immediate parole eligibility.