A HORSHAM man will serve a total of four months in jail for family violence and driving offences.
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Cameron Mazur, 22, appeared at Horsham Magistrates’ Court on Monday via videolink from prison. He pleaded guilty to multiple charges, including reckless driving and breaching a safe contact order.
The court heard that a safe contact order was issued on November 28, 2018 between the accused, and a western Victoria woman and her child. The condition of the order was to not commit family violence against either individual.
Horsham Police prosecutor Senior Constable Michelle Wentworth said the victim saw the accused pull into her driveway on December 5, 2018.
“The accused got out of his car and entered the rear of the property. He then started to bang on the rear door. The victim opened the door and the accused said he wanted to rekindle their relationship,” Senior Constable Wentworth said.
“The victim locked the door and called police. The accused then forcefully hit the door with the side of his body and broke the latch.
“The victim heard a crash and saw the accused come inside. The victim then went out the front of the house, with the accused following her. She pleaded for him to go away; he said he would, as long as she didn’t tell police about the damage he caused.
“The accused walked away and the victim went back into her house where she found the accused with her house and car keys. The accused fled the property when police arrived.”
Police executed a warrant at a Horsham address on December 6 and the accused was arrested.
“He was interviewed at Horsham Police Station where he admitted he was aware an order was in place and was remorseful of his actions,” Senior Constable Wentworth said.
The court heard the accused had 17 pages of prior criminal history, which did not include his driving history. It also heard that he had been remanded for 66 days prior to his sentencing hearing.
Magistrate Ronald Saines said breaching a safe contact order was a “serious offence”.
“This incident came not long after you served a nine-month sentence for a similar matter. It is my opinion that this pre-sentence time you spent in prison is not enough,” he said.
“The real test is not what you say you’ll do when you get out, but rather what you will actually do once you’re back in the community. Although it was a safe contact order and not a no contact order, you still entered her house and damaged property, which breaches the order.”
The court also heard that on July 3, 2017, the accused was travelling 84km/h through a 40km/h roadwork zone on the Ballarat-Carngham Road, Ballarat.
He approached a line of stopped vehicles at traffic lights and failed to stop, colliding with the vehicle in front of him. The court heard that the collision caused a domino affect, which damaged three vehicles.
Police attended the scene and interviewed the accused, who produced a probationary licence. Police later discovered that the accused’s registration was cancelled in May 2017. The accused told police he “hadn’t seen the signs” and was “testing (his) new cruise control”.
“Tests show that the accused made no attempts to stop his vehicle before the collision and he was travelling 84km/h before the impact,” Senior Constable Wentworth said.
Magistrate Saines said the accused’s driving behaviour was “reckless”.
“To be driving 84km/h while approaching stopped vehicles was beyond reckless. You are lucky you didn’t kill someone,” he said.
The accused was sentenced to a total of four months of jail for the driving offence and breaching the safe contact order. However, the 66 days he had already served was taken off the sentence. He was also disqualified from driving in Victoria for eight months.
Mr Saines told the accused that the sentence would have totalled six months if he had pleaded not guilty.
The accused will be made to complete a Community Corrections Order when he is released from prison. Police also asked for a restitution order of $200 for the damage the accused caused to the victim’s property.
- If you or someone who know has experienced sexual, domestic or family violence, contact 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732.