A New South Wales car thief has pleaded guilty to causing the death of a driver whose vehicle he hit head-on at almost 190 kilometres an hour during a police pursuit.
Moruya man Marc Anthony Jessop, 49, was driving a stolen Holden Commodore SV6 on the Monaro Highway towards the Australian Capital Territory border, south of Bredbo on December 30, 2021, when police initiated a pursuit.
The chase was abandoned when Jessop's vehicle, which had a passenger inside, reached a speed of 180kph, according to agreed facts tendered in Cooma Local Court.
A second pursuit commenced at Williamsdale about 20 minutes later and police deployed a tyre deflation device.
The court was told that in the area near the device the car driven by Jessop struck two other vehicles before colliding head-on with a vehicle driven by Harri Jokinen.
Mr Jokinen was found trapped in the wreckage and was declared dead at the scene by paramedics.
Alcohol and methylamphetamine were detected in blood samples taken from Jessop.
An analysis of the vehicle's data found it was travelling at 188 kilometres per hour 2.5 seconds before the collision.
Deadly end to crime spree
Jessop appeared via videolink in Cooma Local Court from the Macquarie Correctional Centre today.
He pleaded guilty to manslaughter, driving a stolen vehicle and driving while disqualified.
Jessop also pleaded guilty to two aggravated break-and-enter offences he committed the night before the fatal crash.
Court documents state Jessop and two others broke into a petrol station at Michelago around 2am on December 30 2021.
Jessop was seen on CCTV taking jerry cans from the premises.
An hour later, while in the presence of three unknown men, Jessop broke into the Nimmitabel bakery, where $800 was stolen and approximately $4,500 worth of damage was caused, including to an ATM.
Police at the local station, about 200 metres away, were alerted to the incident and began a pursuit that was soon called off.
Jessop did not apply for bail and a date for sentencing for all five matters will be set in Queanbeyan District Court on May 1.
