A serial police evader who was again busted running from police in a stolen car in February has had his initial sentence more than doubled following an appeal by the prosecutor.
Bevan John Gleeson, 34 of Launceston, was sentenced to five months in jail after pleading guilty to four charges including evading police, aggravated evade and two counts of motor vehicle stealing, but he had his sentence boosted to 11 months following the appeal.
Tasmanian Supreme Court Justice Helen Wood agreed with an appeal by the Director of Public Prosecutions that the initial sentence was manifestly inadequate on three counts - the aggravated evade, the evade and a consequent license disqualification.
Gleeson was originally sentenced in the Launceston Magistrates Court by Magistrate Sharon Cure.
She imposed a six-month licence disqualification, three months in prison for the aggravated evade and one month for the evade. A further sentence of imprisonment was imposed for the vehicle stealing, but it was not appealed by the DPP.
Gleeson's profile of offending was categorised during sentencing about another matter as having "disregard for the law in a broad range of areas".
During the offences for which Gleeson's sentence was extended, he stole a car from Underwood in early February before police saw him driving it at St Leonards 11 days later.
When police saw him, Gleeson ran a red light and overtook another car on the wrong side of the road.
Two days later police again saw Gleeson driving the car, which had been "badly painted" white, at St Leonards.
Gleeson again sped off and overtook other cars between the kerb and the lane of traffic.
Justice Wood described the evasion as a "manoeuvre fraught with risk and substantive disregard for the safety of others".
Gleeson had previously spent time in prison for three different police evades, one in 2011 for which he was sentenced to 20 months' behind bars and another in 2017 for two counts of evading police.
In 2008 he was sentenced to 27 months in prison for violence and dishonesty offences, in 2012 his role in an aggravated armed robbery netted him three years and six months' jail, and in 2019 he was found guilty of recklessly discharging a firearm twice and was hit with 23-months in prison.
Justice Wood's 11-month sentence amendment meant Gleeson had been sentenced to 103 months - more than eight years - behind bars or with a suspension hanging over his head.
Following the re-sentencing, Gleeson received a further six months behind bars for a slew of family violence offences, and he was awaiting a Supreme Court appearance some time next year.
