A drug addict who drove at high speed on the wrong side of the Hume Highway has been jailed after being told he could have easily killed someone.
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Jai McNamara received a nine-month prison term in Wangaratta court on Thursday, only to be released a short time later after lodging an appeal.
The 23-year-old Albury man was in a stolen Mitsubishi Triton, taken from a Wangaratta home on April 23 last year.
It had a GPS tracker, and was followed by police from 10.30am that day as it sped at up to 160km/h.
The car travelled to Albury and back to Wangaratta, with police trying to stop the vehicle at Glenrowan.
McNamara sped through Benalla streets at up to 147km/h, almost hit a police vehicle, and drove north in the southbound lanes of the Hume at 144km/h.
Drivers swerved to avoid the stolen car.
The 23-year-old reached a police roadblock but crossed the median strip and travelled back towards Wangaratta, before running from the car and being arrested.
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He had methamphetamine in his pocket and tested positive to drugs.
"There's no hiding from the fact the offending on this occasion is incredibly serious," lawyer Amanda Meagher told magistrate Peter Dunn.
The court heard McNamara had acknowledged his behaviour could have been "catastrophic".
"He's obviously on a terrible downhill spiral," Mr Dunn said after hearing of his drug habit.
"You know that you're not the person you want to be because the drugs are dragging you down, it's not easy.
"It's very easy to say, it's a lot harder to do, to move away from those people who involve themselves in drugs, and let alone the effects of the addiction itself, always wanting to drag you back.
"It's only a matter of good fortune rather than good management that someone wasn't seriously injured or killed."
Mr Dunn imposed a nine-month jail term, two-year driving ban and $750 fine.
McNamara immediately appealed the sentence and was released on bail.
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