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Victoria man behind Begbie Street standoff sentenced to 10 months in jail

Matthew Neely, 28, pleaded guilty to multiple charges
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The Victoria man at the centre of a police standoff on Begbie Street in September 2019 was sentenced in provincial court on Wednesday. (Black Press Media file photo)

A Victoria man was sentenced to 10 months in jail for charges related to an eight-hour standoff with police last year.

On Wednesday, Matthew Neely, 28, pleaded guilty to dangerous operation of a conveyance, flight from police and stolen property totalling more than $5,000. He was sentenced to 10 months in prison, fined $5,000 in restitution and prohibited from driving for three years.

READ ALSO: Man arrested after eight-hour standoff on Begbie Street

Neely also pleaded guilty to six charges stemming from an incident Dec. 2 in which he fled from police. He was sentenced to 18 months for charges including theft of a motor vehicle, stolen property over $5,000, possession of a stolen credit card, possession of a controlled substance, willfully resisting or obstructing a peace officer and breach of undertaking.

Neely was taken into police custody on Sept. 4 after attempting to flee police in a stolen vehicle, ramming several parked cars and barricading himself inside a residence on Begbie Street. A standoff lasting at least eight hours followed, with police and members of the Greater Victoria Emergency Response Team (GVERT) attempting to communicate with Neely through a microphone.

READ ALSO: Victoria man with outstanding warrants flees police, arrested in Saanich

The Victoria man was let out on bail but failed to appear for a court date Dec.2. That night, Saanich police arrested him in the 3500-block of Shelbourne Street.

Neely is due back in court on two dates this month for a charge of fraud under $5,000 and breach of undertaking or recognizance.

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