Danny Edmunds: Ashburton man jailed for incidents including torching car, EastLink hooning

An Ashburton man has learnt his fate after a crime spree, which included an aggravated burglary, torching a car and a high-speed chase on EastLink.

Ashburton’s Danny Edmunds, 34, was sentenced over a string of incidents in the Ringwood Magistrates Court on July 27, 2022. File picture.

A former warehouse worker who torched a car following an aggravated burglary and hooned down EastLink at 160km/h despite never having a driver’s license will stay behind bars.

Danny Edmunds, 34, faced the Ringwood Magistrates’ Court via video link from custody on July 27, after pleading guilty to charges following a string of incidents stretching from October 2020 to March 2022.

The court heard Edmunds broke into a home about 3.20am and stole a car as well as house keys, a smart watch, a Nintendo switch, four cans of Canadian club premix and house keys while the resident was asleep.

About four hours later, he set a car on fire on Derna Rd in Ashburton at 7.15am and ran from the scene.

Police eventually tracked down Edmunds and arrested him in relation to the aggravated burglary, and the theft of power tools in Glen Iris between March 13 and 14.

He was taken to the Boroondara police station for questioning, where police noticed he appeared to be suffering from significant burns to his face and hands.

He was taken to The Alfred for treatment under police guard on March 16, and later remanded.

The court heard Edmunds had also been charged with other offences including a car break-in in Glen Iris, driving unlicensed and driving under the influence of methamphetamine in Mitcham.

In November 2021, he was also involved in a police pursuit along EastLink between Wellington Rd in Rowville and Burwood Highway in Wantirna South, where officers detected him driving a Kia Sportage wagon at speeds of up to 160km/h.

He was eventually arrested at a 7-Eleven service station on the corner of Wellington Rd and Stud Rd in Rowville, where officers found he had been driving unlicensed and had never held a driver’s license.

The car was also deemed unroadworthy and impounded.

Edmunds’ defence lawyer Michael Challinger told the court his client, who was living in an Ashburton sharehouse at the time of his offending, had a troubled upbringing, a history of drug use and was diagnosed with Schizophrenia in 2019.

He also said his client held a forklift licence but had failed to hold down long term jobs in warehouses, and had the aim “to stay clean and get work” when he eventually left jail.

Magistrate Michael Wighton told Edmunds he was at an age where he was “at a bit more able to deal with or engage with rehabilitation than you have previously”.

“I hope at some point in your release you’ll get back onto that road and look at the community services available,” he said.

Edmunds was sentenced to a cumulative sentence of 12 months’ jail, with 134 days already served as pre-detention.