Shepparton: Troy Joachim pleads guilty to dangerous driving offences
A police officer “braced” himself to be hit by a reckless hoon who reached speeds of up to 200km/h near a Goulburn Valley school.
Goulburn Valley
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Police parked their car in front of a civilian’s car to protect them from a hoon who reached 190km/h near a Goulburn Valley primary school, a court has heard.
Troy Joachim pleaded guilty to a string of driving and drug offences including reckless conduct endangering life in Shepparton Magistrates Court on Wednesday.
The court heard after stealing a stolen Mercedes in the early hours of December 23 last year he stole fuel, and drove erratically through the Shepparton CBD.
He reached speeds of up to 200km/h including in Lemnos where he drove close to a school and police had to use their vehicle to protect another driver’s car.
Prosecutor Brent O’Grady said Joachim, who used bank cards in the stolen car to buy shoes in Echuca, drove at 190km per hour on the wrong side of the road.
Police parked in front of a civilian’s car “to protect them”, he said.
The accused missed the police car, eventually parked and fled on foot where the pair were arrested.
Joachim was found with heroin and methylamphetamine which he referred to as “salt” and “gear”.
Mr O’Grady played police helicopter footage which showed the hoon speeding towards the police vehicle and “overtaking numerous vehicles while driving erratically”.
Defence lawyer Ian Michaelson said the accused didn’t understand the vehicle was a marked police car.
He said “police took no evasive action” and opposed the charge of reckless conduct endangering life.
But Magistrate Frances Medina said police took evasive action as shown in police’s body worn camera footage where a constable “braces himself to be collided with by the accused”.
Joachim pleaded guilty to failing to stop on police signal, stealing motor vehicle, possession of drugs, failing oral fluid test, stealing assorted bank cards, drive an unregistered motor vehicle, and reckless conduct endangering life
He will be sentenced in Koori court on June 10.
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