Wanted Warrnambool man admits dishonesty offending

Patrick Gavin, 52, was arrested on Saturday, April 15, after Victoria Police issued a plea for information from the public on March 30 in an effort to locate him.

The man was wanted on a number of charges, including breaching court orders and driving and dishonesty-related offending.

Gavin appeared in the city's magistrates court on Monday where he pleaded guilty to the offences and was jailed for two months.

The court heard the offending dated back to 2022 with the man repeatedly breaching court-imposed orders and driving without a licence.

On April 20 last year Gavin was seen by police driving his silver Ford Falcon on Warrnambool's Laverock Road.

When police activated their red and blue lights, he failed to stop and instead sped off in excess of the 50 km/h speed limit.

The court heard Gavin also stole petrol and food from Warrnambool and Ballarat businesses, and used a stolen bank card to purchase $2280 worth of alcohol and cigarettes.

Gavin is well-known to police and has a lengthy criminal history.

The court heard he was placed on a community correction order in August 2021 which he then breached in October of that year.

Tim Smurthwaite, representing Gavin, urged the court to consider a community correction order rather than a jail sentence.

He said his client suffered mental illnesses that would make a term of imprisonment more onerous than "mainstream" prisoners.

Mr Smurthwaite said Gavin was also a "protection prisoner arising from historical events", meaning he wouldn't have the opportunities afforded to other inmates.

But magistrate Franz Holzer said the man was given the opportunity for a correction order in 2021, which he breached, and that the appropriate sentence was a "short, sharp" period in jail.

Gavin was also fined $800.

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