Caleb Anger fronted County Court for his crime spree on New Year’s Day in 2023
A man who took police on a high speed chase through Melbourne’s eastern suburbs may have been having auditory and visual hallucinations, a court has heard.
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An armed lunatic led police on a high-speed chase through Melbourne’s eastern suburbs may have been having auditory and visual hallucinations, a court has heard.
Caleb Anger, 29, pleaded guilty at Melbourne Magistrates Court in November 2023 to 11 charges, including stealing a vehicle at Gardenvale on January 1 using force on another person while carrying a firearm, driving a vehicle while disqualified, and unlawfully assaulting a person with a handgun in a road rage incident at Kew.
He also pleaded guilty to recklessly engaging in a police pursuit at high speeds at Gardenvale, Doncaster, Kew and Box Hill on January 1, where he drove on the wrong side of the road, resulting in people taking evasive action to avoid a head-on collision.
On Friday, at what was set to be his plea hearing at the County Court, Anger’s lawyer immediately asked Judge Doyle for an adjournment, as Anger was having some difficulty in understanding what was going to occur on the day.
Anger’s lawyer also said they needed more time to put together a comprehensive psychological report.
There was some suggestion from the defence Anger was experiencing auditory and visual hallucinations during his offending.
Anger was animated throughout the hearing and was seen pacing back and forth during a brief break in proceedings.
He reacted negatively when the judge suggested he be brought to court for his next appearance, shaking his head and saying “no.”
At the end of the hearing, he told the judge directly, “I really don’t want to come to court.”
Judge Doyle granted the adjournment and set a date of September 9 for the new plea hearing.
Anger will remain on remand until his next appearance.
“We don’t want to be adjourning this again,” Judge Doyle said.
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