Melton’s Peter Doxas found at Shell Greensborough after stolen car chase
A man who hit a car while being chased through Preston and Bundoora has been before the courts so much a Magistrate was left with little options what to do with him. She left him with some advice: “Read a book, go to bed’’.
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A man has been released from jail on the condition he stay inside his mum’s house at night, with a Magistrate telling him to “go to bed” or “read a book”.
Peter Doxas’ long, continued criminal history left the court with little option what to do with him, Heidelberg Magistrates’ Court has heard.
He drove a stolen Hyundai on the wrong side of the road and ran numerous red lights, colliding with a 4WD, less than four months after he was released from jail on a community corrections order.
The court heard police began following him as he drove the stolen car about noon on April 29 — which was bearing a number plate he had stolen that morning — before it was tracked by a police helicopter.
The air wing followed him for about an hour from Preston, observing Doxas hit the back of a 4WD then kept driving.
He then drove to the underground carpark of Bundoora’s Uni Hill shopping centre to hide from police, where he and his passenger ditched the stolen car and were picked up by his brother.
Police intercepted his brother’s car at the Shell service station in Greensborough shortly after, arresting Doxas, finding a Stanley knife and cocaine.
Police had also caught Doxas with GHB in Heidelberg West about 9.49pm on April 2.
The court heard the father had a long criminal history and was an ongoing methamphetamine user.
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He had breached six community corrections orders by committing further crimes and had previously violated parole.
Magistrate Meagan Keogh said the situation was “getting a bit ridiculous” when Doxas pleaded guilty to the latest charges on Tuesday, June 9.
The court heard residential rehabilitation would be best for Doxas but there were no places available with delays and restrictions imposed by coronavirus.
With Doxas having already spent 56 days in jail on Wednesday, June 24, Ms Keogh said it wasn’t fair to keep him in jail because there weren’t other options.
She sentenced him to the jail time he had served and placed him on an 18-month corrections order, including drug and mental health treatment and rehab.
Ms Keogh noted a lot of Doxas’ crimes occurred at night, and in the northern suburbs, placing home on a three-month curfew requiring him to be at his mum’s Melton home from 10pm to 6am.
“You need to just be at home,” she said.
“It’s about also just being stable and developing a new routine.”
“If it’s 10.30pm or 11pm at night, go to bed, read a book.”
His licence was cancelled for six months.