Jade Fell: Mildura motorist who evaded police caught in grape vines

A Mildura man who tore through suburban backstreets at up to 120km/h with police and the helicopter in pursuit, just “panicked”.

Eleventh St was just one of the streets used by a Mildura motorist attempting to evade police.

A Mildura man who led police on a wild chase through the suburban backstreets, reaching speeds of up to 120km/h was “panicked”, a court has heard.

Jade Fell appeared before Mildura Magistrates’ Court by video link on Monday.

He pleaded guilty to dangerous driving while being pursued by police and being a prohibited person possessing a firearm.

Police said Fell’s silver Holden sedan was initially observed about 8.40pm on October 10 this year travelling along Eleventh St.

He then took off down Flora Ave towards Eighth St, then drove around a police car.

A police helicopter tracked the car travelling up to 120km/h in a residential 50 km/h area.

The car was tracked several times driving on the wrong side of the road.

It then travelled back to Deakin Ave, where it briefly stopped at a motor inn before working its way around three stationary vehicles at the Fourteenth St intersection.

The car also travelled on Hunter St and Etiwanda Ave.

Eventually, the vehicle stopped at an address in Fourteenth St, Irymple, where three passengers exited.

The car then continued on to Morpung Ave, where the driver fled into grape vines before he was located by police.

Two days later, police obtained two firearms that were in Fell’s possession, which he said had been given to him by another person and had earlier considered handing into police.

Police said during the chase, Fell’s passengers had tried to tell him to stop and “pull your head in”.

In a police interview Fell said he was “sorry for causing so much unsafety for everyone around me”.

Fell was said to have panicked when he was first observed by police.

His lawyer said Fell was someone who “sticks his hand up” and admits when he has done something wrong.

The lawyer said Fell had a traumatic experience as a younger person.

Magistrate Michael Coghlan said it was “quite understandable” that this traumatic experience might cause deterioration of a person’s mental health.

Mr Coghlan said it was important that people who consider taking on the police knew there are consequences to doing so.

“If you take the police on and drive as you did in a residential area, the risk of a collision is significant and in my view warrants imprisonment,” Mr Coghlan said.

Fell was convicted and sentenced to three months in jail on the driving charge and three months on the firearms charge, with two of those months to be served concurrently for a total of four months.

He will be disqualified from driving for 15 months.