Travis Alec Hayes-Edwards, 19, was handed a hefty sentence in the Launceston Magistrates Court on April 18 after pleading guilty to multiple driving offences.

Magistrate Simon Brown said these were a "shocking set of escapades", which put the young man and other road users at risk.

Police prosecutor Michael Bonde told the court Hayes-Edwards came to the attention of police on November 14, 2022 after a motorist on the Tasman Highway reported a silver Mitsubishi revving excessively and swerving over the road.

The motorist said they saw smoke coming from the cars tyres, and when they tried to overtake the car as it was driving below the speed limit the Mitsubishi sped up without warning and cut in front of them.

The Mitsubishi then sped into the distance, however the motorist later caught up with the car and saw it speed towards Branxholm, but not before it executed a manoeuvre where it crossed over double white lines into the oncoming lane through a blind corner.

Later that night police saw the Mitsubishi driving through Scottsdale, again above the speed limit, and began a pursuit with lights and sirens on.

The car did not stop, and police eventually disengaged due to safety concerns.

Police later saw the car parked at a home at Legerwood, where Hayes-Edwards lived with his grandfather, and when they approached the car they saw the young man behind the wheel.

Hayes-Edwards admitted to driving the car, but denied evading the police.

The officers attempted to arrest Hayes-Edwards who resisted, calling one of the officers a "f***ing dog" and saying they were "irrelevant to me c**t" and was told if he did not comply the police would pepper spray him.

In an interview with police, Hayes-Edwards said he did not know who owned the car, and other people sometimes used it so it came and went.

A check of police records indicated the car was unregistered, and the number plates attached were expired but belonged to a white Isuzu utility.

The young man was bailed on the condition that he not get behind the wheel of a vehicle, however police repeatedly spotted Hayes-Edwards driving around the North East.

Hayes-Edwards was a learner driver at the time, and while violating the bail conditions he also failed to display L plates and drove without correct supervision.

He also pleaded guilty to stealing a coin machine from the Branxholm campground shower block, breaking into a construction site on Wellington Street and stealing items including power tools, valued at $2700, damaging a window at the University of Tasmania campus at Newnham and some drugs charges.

Defence counsel James Oxley said Hayes-Edwards had fallen on hard times in the lead up to his offending - sparked by the breakdown of a long-term relationship - and as it was his first time before the courts imprisonment would be "unduly harsh".

Mr Oxley said the young man had also been unable to access the correct support for his ADHD after turning 18 and turned to self-medicating with methylamphetamine.

Since then, however, Mr Oxley said Hayes-Edwards' situation had improved considerably and the offending "effectively stopped" in the middle of 2023.

This coincided with him resuming the relationship, cutting down on his drug use and moving to the North-West - breaking the connection with people in Launceston who were bad influences.

The magistrate acknowledged these improvements, and Hayes-Edwards' youth - a significant mitigating factor which gave hope for rehabilitation.

However, he said the young man's previous behaviour was "shocking" and the punishment needed to send a clear message of "utter disapproval".

"You were completely off the rails," Mr Brown said.

For evading the police under aggravated circumstances - a "dreadfully serious" matter - Mr Brown handed down an eight-week jail sentence, wholly suspended for 18 months.

This was accompanied by a 12-month community corrections order.

On the other charges, Hayes-Edwards was sentenced to another eight weeks in prison, also suspended for 18 months bringing the total to 16 weeks.

Hayes-Edwards was also fined $1200 and given a 30-month driving disqualification.

The magistrate warned Hayes-Edwards that the suspended sentence was not to be taken as a softer form of punishment.

"This is not just something I've done because I don't want to send you to jail," Mr Brown said.

"This is pretty much your last chance.

"You should be under no illusions, your future is in your hands."