Man set free, steals car wtihin hours

BRISBANE, Australia, Aug. 8 (UPI) -- A career criminal with a history of at least 60 arrests stole a car within hours of release from prison, an Australian appeals court was told Friday.

Judges on the panel in Queensland decided unanimously to dismiss Heath Chatters' appeal, the Brisbane Courier-Herald reported. He had argued that a 36-month sentence was an excessive sentence for his joy ride.

Justice Hugh Fraser, saying that Chatters has a record of more than 60 arrests, said calling his behavior "disturbing" is an understatement.

Prosecutors said that after Chatters was released from jail in Woodford, 40 miles north of Brisbane, in February 2007 he was driven to nearby Caboolture in a prison van. He went to a hotel and then, within hours of release, stole a car at a railway station parking lot.

Chatters was so drunk he hit several cars, including a police vehicle pursuing him, officers said.