Shepparton hoon Jamaine Baksh jailed for 100km/h residential rampage
A serial hoon who has been nabbed driving at up to 100km/h through Shepparton was addicted to the high-speed rush, with his lawyer even referring to WHO research to back up the claim.
Goulburn Valley
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A Shepparton hoon who sped through residential streets at 100km/h in stolen cars will spend Christmas behind bars.
Magistrate Stella Suthridge sentenced Jamaine Baksh to two-and-a-half years jail and cancelled his licence for two years for more than 100 charges related to theft, reckless conduct, and driving while disqualified.
But she took the 275 days already served off the 23-year-old’s jail time, and set a non-parole period of 12 months, which means he might be eligible to get out of jail in about 100 days.
Before Ms Suthridge handed down the “very sad sentence”, the court heard Mr Baksh was “sensation seeking” when he drove dangerously through the streets of Shepparton.
On a number of occasions from January to July, he travelled at 100km/h through residential streets in stolen cars, taunted police with squealing tyres and nearly took out other vehicles.
Mr Baksh’s lawyer Luke Slater said it was “good fortune” Mr Baksh was “alive and well” and there were “no significant injuries” in the community as a result of his actions.
Mr Slater described his client’s high-speed driving as “an addiction, a rush he needs”, and referred to research from the World Health Organisation to qualify why young men tended to drive dangerously.
“I’ve been interested in why young men in Australia seem to drive very dangerous,” he said.
“And driving seems to be almost a hobby in that age group of males in Australia, more so than what occurs in Europe.”
“It may allow a feeling of a sense of control … taking risks can provide some level of control.”
But Mr Slater said his client also did not quite fit the typical hoon profile. The court heard Mr Baksh was an Aboriginal man with an intellectual disability, ADHD and anxiety, who was disengaged with school from Year 8.
However, the court heard Mr Baksh was “fortunate” to retain the support of his family and partner, who had described him as having a “wonderful personality” when he was not on drugs.
Mr Slater said while Mr Baksh’s most recent offending came after a 16-week rehab stint, he said the “change in criminal profile” from theft to dangerous driving indicated “ he’s starting to change his behaviours”.
He also pointed to his 275 days already in custody, describing it as the “worst time” to be a Victorian prisoner, and said “risk taking behaviour does reduce with age”.
But the prosecution said this gave more reason to protect the community, arguing people who suffer from ADHD take longer to learn from mistakes.
Magistrate Stella Suthridge said protecting the community was “absolutely” an important factor when sentencing Mr Baksh, but acknowledged he had pleaded guilty at every point along the way.
She said Mr Baksh was young, who had a good family support system and “some prospects” of rehab.
“They are positive influences in your life, which ultimately bear fruit, and there have been times when you’ve been offence free,” she said.
But Ms Suthridge said his driving was “extraordinary high risk behaviour” which was a concern for the community.
“Cars are not toys, roads are not playgrounds,” she said.
Ms Suthridge said while the nature of his offending was changing, it had escalated from January to July, and she said the prison sentence reflected that.
Mr Baksh will be eligible for parole in February.
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