A Mandurah man has been sentenced to two years in jail for pointing a gun at a construction worker and stealing his work ute, while he was “drugged out of his eyeballs”.
Jared Shayne Mitchell, who appeared in the Mandurah Magistrates Court via video link from Albany Regional Prison, had pleaded guilty to 18 charges, including obstructing public officers and reckless driving to escape pursuit by police.
Lawyer Terry Dobson said the 24-year-old was “drugged out of his eyeballs” on Xanax, Tramadol and methamphetamine, at the time of the incidents.
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In January, Sgt. Nev Palmer told the court Mitchell drove a stolen Toyota Hilux to Wormall Civil in Madora Bay on August 9, 2017, about 5pm.
He approached an employee armed with a single-barrel shotgun and one 12-gauge handgun and said “call the police”.
Mr Dobson claimed the handgun was in Mitchell’s pocket, but the victim contradicted this and said both guns were pointed directly toward him.
Mitchell then proceeded to steal the man’s work ute and evaded police in a dangerous pursuit through Mandurah, when the congestion was heavy.
Sgt. Palmer said Mitchell refused to stop despite being chased by officers, drove through red lights, swerved between traffic, crashed through trees, mounted curbs and almost collided with another vehicle.
When Mitchell finally stopped, police searched the car and found the two guns on his seat, which were accompanied by a stolen WA driver’s licence.
Ten rounds of 12-gauge shotgun ammunition and anabolic steroids were found in a camouflaged backpack in Mitchell’s house.
Sgt. Palmer said Mitchell also caused a disturbance at the Sebel Mandurah Hotel on November 26, 2016 and “put numbers of the public in danger”.
Mitchell verbally abused the general manager after a dispute over his mini bar tab. He then proceeded to drive his vehicle through the front glass of the hotel and performed multiple burnouts until his car slammed into a brick wall, Sgt. Palmer said.
“There were numbers of people on the footpath on Marco Polo Drive,” Sgt. Palmer said.
Mitchell was assessed by a psychologist and psychiatrist, both of whom believed he was fit to stand trial and was not “mentally unwell or psychotic”.
But they did say he “externalised blame” by painting himself as a victim, had anti-social traits and used drugs to self-medicate, including cannabis and prescription medication.
Magistrate Anne Longden said Mitchell had a tough up-bringing, being raised by his grandparents for part of his childhood. He was expelled from high school in Year 8.
She said he had written the court a letter that showed genuine remorse, and he had been trying to get his life back on track by undertaking educational courses in prison.
When considering Mitchell’s sentence, Ms Longden said he was a risk to himself and others, and had an “elevated risk of re-offending” due to his substance abuse problems.
Ms Longden said a suspended sentence was not suitable because Mitchell was previously jailed for breaching parole after taking methamphetamine and not complying with orders.
Mitchell was handed a two-year jail term, with the seriousness of the offences also taken into account.
The sentence was backdated to August 10, 2017, taking into account the time he had already spent in custody.
He was given a 20 per cent discount for pleading guilty at the earliest opportunity, and was made eligible for parole.
Follow Carla Hildebrandt on Twitter at @hildebrandt_c.
Carla Hildebrandt
Journalist at the Mandurah Mail
Journalist at the Mandurah Mail
