Melton police ramming: Matthew Shannon hits cops on The Crest

A Melton man who drove head on into a police car after taking out a letter box during a high-speed chase had an interesting explanation.

Shannon drove head on into a police car. (Generic image)

A Melton man who drove head on into a police car after doing more than double the speed limit and taking out a letter box has avoided jail.

Matthew Shannon, 20, was sentenced to a three-year corrections order with 200 hours community work at the County Court on Tuesday, December 1, having pleaded guilty to charges including recklessly exposing an emergency worker to risk by driving,

Shannon was 19 when he drove at 104km/h in a built-up residential area as he tried to evade police while high on ice on March 23, 2019.

Police had begun following Shannon after they saw him driving a Ford sedan with false number plates in Melton West about 12.40pm.

The chase came to a dangerous end at The Crest, Harkness after Shannon turned down the no-through road then drove onto the footpath to do a U-turn, knocking over a letter box.

He then drove head on into the police car that had been following him, with the officers believing he accelerated before the collision.

The impact of the crash forced the police car backwards and caused it $10,137 worth of damage, with Judge Howard Mason saying it was lucky the officers weren’t seriously injured.

Shannon, who was unlicensed and driving an unregistered car, told police he was just driving his housemate’s car home, and he’d always wanted to get a licence.

He told police he saw officers “coming up (his) arse”, and “went ‘woah’” and “just gapped it”.

It was heard Shannon had a disrupted childhood, recalling he could do whatever he wanted and rules didn’t apply to him.

The court heard he spent a lot of time on the streets..

It was heard Shannon, who has an intellectual disability, had worked in landscaping and roof tiling since leaving school during Year 9.

It was heard he had no criminal history and had not been in trouble while on bail.

Judge Mason said he was emphasising rehabilitation in handing the young man a corrections order.

Judge Mason said Shannon would have been jailed if not for his youth, disability and other mitigating circumstances.