Jacob Ford jailed on assault, driving charges as frustrated magistrate slams system.

He was hit by a car as a small boy. Now he’s a grown man and serial crim getting regular money from the TAC. A “flabbergasted” magistrate has slammed the system that let him fall “through the cracks”.

Jacob Ford fronted Geelong Magistrates Court on Wednesday, having earlier pleaded guilty to a raft of charges.

A frustrated magistrate has lashed the system that let a vulnerable offender fall through the cracks and continue to break the law.

Jacob Ford, 21, appeared in the Geelong Magistrates Court on Wednesday to be sentenced for a raft of offences, including three counts of assaulting police officers and single counts of unlawful assault, assaulting an emergency worker on duty, driving while disqualified, careless driving, possessing a controlled weapon, possessing prescription medication and multiple counts of shoplifting.

Magistrate Peter Mellas jailed Ford for six months – minus the 139 days he’d already spent in custody, describing the assaults of police officers as “just reprehensible”.

Mr Mellas told the court he was “flabbergasted” over the handling of Ford’s case.

Ford was “wreaking havoc” and committing “almost every offence known to man”, despite the fact he was a vulnerable offender with supports that others would be “falling over to access”.

The court heard it was an example of someone “falling through the cracks”.

The court heard Ford had an intellectual disability and acquired brain injury stemming from a “catastrophic” accident when he was hit by a car while riding his bike as an eight-year-old.

Mr Mellas took particular umbrage with the Traffic Accident Commission’s (TAC) involvement, or lack thereof, in Ford’s ongoing support.

“The TAC sits back, on its pile of money, and it’s not clear to me what they are doing, actively, other than sending him a cheque every two weeks,” Mr Mellas said.

Ford currently receives $1800 a fortnight from the TAC stemming from the accident and also receives assistance through the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).

The court heard Ford’s finances were at the whim of his poor impulse control, poor decision making and history of drug abuse.

“How is it that a guardian hasn’t been appointed? Someone who can have some input into how he spends his money?” Mr Mellas asked.

The court heard an attempt to appoint a financial administrator for Ford through VCAT had been knocked back.

Despite all the support services in place, Ford’s needs had been “thrown back on the criminal justice system”.

“He’s getting into trouble for a whole lot of reasons … and that in turn is directly related to the car accident he had when he was eight years old,” Mr Mellas said.

“We’ve got no idea what his life would have been like … but it stopped short when he was eight.”

Mr Mellas said his criticism of the TAC “might be completely misconceived” but he’d be better informed “if someone from the TAC bothered to turn up”.

Mr Mellas said it was not the fault of Ford’s individual caseworkers, who were trying their hardest within the limitations of their roles, but was an example “of services not talking to each other” and the flaws in the broader system.

He told Ford there were people doing everything they could to support him, but he needed to start “doing the right thing by them”.

Originally published as Jacob Ford jailed on assault, driving charges as frustrated magistrate slams system.