A man who has spent most of his adult life in prison has been sentenced to another 21 months behind bars after he kidnapped a woman in Moe, Gippsland, in 2021.
Thane Jago pleaded guilty to imprisoning the woman against her will on October 23, 2021, as well as other charges relating to a string of offending on that day and the next.
The Latrobe Valley County Court heard Jago refused to let the woman out of a car while he drove and demanded she hand over all her possessions.
The court heard Jago stole her purse, grabbed her throat, and pushed her head against the car's door until she escaped by jumping out of the car while it was moving.
The next day, Jago stole petrol from a service station and drove through a roundabout and onto the wrong side of the road while being pursued by police.
Investigators found the number plates on the car he was driving were stolen.
When sentencing the 41-year-old, Judge John Smallwood said the kidnapping would have been "terrifying" for the victim.
He noted that Jago had a difficult past involving childhood abuse, drug addiction, and mental health challenges.
He had served around 20 years in prison since he was a teenager.
Judge Smallwood said at the time of Jago's offending he was homeless and had little support.
"[You are] clearly institutionalised and have been for some time. it's a dreadful state of affairs," he said.
"For Aboriginal men who have been through your background it just angers me to see this as the result."
Jago joined Tuesday's court hearing via videolink from prison, where he has served almost 500 days since the kidnapping, including eight months in solitary confinement.
