Dylan Downes of Bacchus Marsh, 32, pleads guilty to carjacking spree

A Bacchus Marsh man carjacked three people including an 80-year-old, tried twice more and narrowly avoided head on collisions with police in pursuits where he drove 140km/h.

Bacchus Marsh man Dylan Downes, 32, pleaded guilty to 60 charges in Shepparton Magistrates’ Court, including carjacking and assault. Picture: Victoria Police

A horrific carjacking has seen an 80-year-old man injured after he was dragged along his driveway.

After two unsuccessful attempts to carjack women in the Seymour IGA carpark, Dylan Downes approached the man at his home.

The elderly man tried to stop him but was dragged by the car as Downes reversed, and suffered grazes and bruises.

The “outrageous” offending was heard in the Shepparton Magistrates’ Court this week, where 32-year-old Downes pleaded guilty to dozens of charges.

Beginning in Seymour on September 3 last year, the Bacchus Marsh man stole a van, evading police by driving more than 140km/h and swerving through traffic.

At an intersection on Broadford-Kilmore Rd, Downes leapt from the van, pulled another man from his ute and drove away.

Just days later he stole keys to a HiLux and drove to an ex’s house, whose neighbour alerted police.

They set up road spikes but that didn’t stop Downes who ran over them anyway and only narrowly avoided a head on collision with police.

He continued to drive with four punctured tyres.

The crime spree continued throughout the week, when Downes stole more car keys and a car, before driving to the Seymour IGA where he approached a woman loading items into the boot of her car.

After unsuccessfully demanding her keys to steal her car, he snatched keys off another woman but was unable to get her car to start.

It was later that day that Downes carjacked the 80-year-old.

Dylan Downes will reappear in Shepparton Magistrates’ Court to be sentenced in July. Picture: Jack Colantuono

On September 10, Downes stole a semi-trailer truck before police began yet another pursuit.

Twice, in attempts to evade the cops, he braked and reversed towards them, forcing officers to back away to avoid a collision.

He proceeded to steal two more vehicles on the same day, one from a school and one by pulling a woman from her car, before attempting to flee on foot.

At this point he was successfully arrested.

Across the spree, Downes also nicked more than $700 of petrol and diesel from various service stations.

Magistrate Simon Zebrowski said Downes’ driving was a “nightmare” and “appalling”.

He said Downes picked soft targets to carjack, like the elderly, and was putting lives at risk.

“This is outrageous behaviour,” he said.

The court heard Downes had relevant prior criminal history and his offending began just four days after he was sentenced to a Community Corrections Order on other matters.

Downes was remanded and will reappear on July 2 for further plea and sentencing.