A MAN who dragged a police officer along Docker Street in a stolen car has been sentenced to a maximum of seven years imprisonment.
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Gary Mackay will serve just half that time before he is eligible for parole after Wagga District Court Judge Phillip Mahony favoured a finding of special circumstances citing his moral culpability for the crime was reduced as a result of a childhood depravation and violence.
Mackay, now 30, had been under arrest for a home invasion on September 7, 2012 where he intimidated his partner's father armed with a screwdriver in a bid to get money.
The day after his arrest on October 7, 2012 over the matter, Mackay was taken to Wagga Base Hospital for detox treatment having consumed a concoction of illicit drugs and alcohol.
There he attempted to escape custody through a toilet ceiling cavity, but was thwarted.
He pushed two officers attempting to return him to the ED department aside before running to Docker Street where he pulled a woman out of her car and started driving off.
Senior Constable Matt Jennings was driving by at the time and responded by rushing to the car and catching the door in an attempt to stop Mackay.
He was dragged along the road for a while before the car crashed into a pole, leaving Constable Jennings with a broken finger which required surgery.
He plead guilty to five charges in Wagga District Court over the spree including using an offensive weapon to prevent lawful detention, escaping custody and assaulting a police officer.
This week the court heard Mackay had little recollection of his actions because of his drug-affected state.
In sentencing, Judge Phillip Mahony SC said Mackay's upbringing of extreme violence and abuse reduced his moral culpability.
The court heard that during his childhood Mackay had witnessed murder, assaults and aggression and that he himself had been a victim of a stabbing and had been run over.
A motor vehicle accident in 1999 also left him with severe physical injuries, poor memory and the propensity to make impulsive decisions.
He developed a lifestyle of alcohol and drug abuse as a result in an attempt to ease his pain.
"He was substantially disadvantaged in life and needs to have considerable intervention to prevent (further crime)," Judge Mahony said.
Judge Mahony imposed an aggregate sentence with a maximum of seven years imprisonment.
Of that time Mackay will serve three-and-a-half years behind bars before he his eligible to be released to supervised parole in January 2017 with time already served.
