JAKE Dawson's four-week crime spree was brought to an end when police found him hiding in yard after his "burst of criminality" saw him carjack a woman, lead police on chases and steal vehicles.
The now 34-year-old was supported by his parents when he was sentenced in Newcastle District Court on Tuesday to six years behind bars, with four non-parole, after he pleaded guilty to a string of charges.
Dawson's spate of offending kicked off last year when he stole a black Nissan Navara on June 3, then days later, stole a silver Holden Cruze from a shopping centre in Elermore Vale.
On June 25, Dawson made off with a ute full of tools at Nelsons Plains, but he ditched the work equipment in exchange for drugs.
Dawson caught the eye of police again at Cessnock on July 7, when he got behind the wheel of a Mazda CX7 and fled.
Dawson drove too fast and on the wrong side of the road at times that afternoon, forcing oncoming traffic to take evasive action, as the police helicopter tracked him overhead.
He jumped out of the Mazda while it was still moving and dragged a 66-year-old woman from a parked Mitsubishi Magna, then took off after the carjacking.
"No doubt it was frightening and indeed terrifying for the owner of the motor vehicle to be ... physically handled in this way," Judge Peter McGrath said.
Dawson's road rampage continued, and he hit 180 kilometres per hour on the Hunter Expressway before he abandoned the Mitsubishi in Beresfield and scoped out backyards, looking for another car to steal.
Dawson - who was on bail and disqualified from driving at the time - was searching for a vehicle to take when he entered an open garage door at an Emerson Street property.
Police found Dawson hiding in a yard and arrested him, and he has remained behind bars since.
Defence barrister Rob Hussey detailed to the court Dawson's traumatic background and his battle with drug addiction.
Mr Hussey said Dawson had become a peer mentor in prison, worked as a plumber in his jail, had been clean of drugs since he was taken into custody and was getting professional help.
Crown prosecutor David Henschell said the offending was serious and had endangered the community.
"There's definitely signs of a willingness to go down the rehabilitation path, the question will be whether [Dawson] can stick to that path," he said.
Dawson's charges included two counts of police pursuit, assault with intent to steal a car, aggravated enter dwelling with intent, and three counts of taking and driving a car without consent.
For 12 counts of disqualified driving, he was handed criminal convictions and eight-month licence disqualifications.
