A man whose DNA was found in a stolen car had at least a year added to his time in jail after he pleaded guilty to the offence in Orange Local Court.
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Adrian John Bunn, 28, was already in jail completing non-parole periods until April 24, 2020, for common assault and a police pursuit, when he appeared in court via a video link from Wellington Correctional Facility on Monday.
According to police, Bunn stole a locked Mazda 323, which was parked in a driveway at Moresby Street overnight on March 10 and 11.
On March 22, police saw a Mazda 323 in the front yard of a property in Elliott Close but the registration plates belonged to a Holden VT, which had cancelled registration.
After examining the car, and making inquiries, police suspected it was stolen so had it towed for further inspection.
It was later confirmed to be the stolen car and Bunn's DNA was found on the gear stick and on a jumper that was left on the passenger seat.
Bunn instructed solicitor Simeon Miller on Monday that he would plead guilty and he wanted to be sentenced straight away.
There needs to be a strong message sent not just to Mr Bunn but to the community and that condign [severe but just] sentences will be imposed.
- Magistrate David Day
"He doesn't wish me to make any submissions," Mr Miller said.
Magistrate David Day said Bunn's offending was aggravated by a bad criminal record that included previous convictions for car stealing, assault, armed robbery, police pursuit and other driving matters.
"Car stealing remains a prevalent problem and has been a problem for this area for the last year-and-a-half," Mr Day said.
"There needs to be a strong message sent not just to Mr Bunn but to the community and that condign [severe but just] sentences will be imposed."
Mr Day said it was important Bunn's sentence include punishment and general deterrence but because Bunn was also relatively young there was still be a chance of him being rehabilitated so he gave him a longer parole period.
He gave Bunn a two-year jail sentence with 12-month non-parole period, which will start on April 24, 2020.
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