A Canberra couple's "dream home" has become a place in which one half now feels "constantly frightened" thanks to a serial criminal on a car stealing spree.
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The victims detailed the ongoing impact of Mitchell John West's crimes in statements to the ACT Supreme Court, where the offender was told on Thursday to expect an imminent release.
West, 25, has been behind bars on remand since embarking on an early morning crime spree in April 2021.
It began about 2am on the day in question, when West and an unidentified male co-offender broke into a Throsby home.
West threatened an elderly female occupant with a knife and rummaged through her bed in search of valuables before the men stole numerous items, including a Honda CR-V, and fled.
About two hours later, West, Bradley Caine Dawson and an unknown man broke into a Casey home.
After a confrontation with the couple who lived there, West drove off in a Suzuki Vitara belonging to the female home owner.
Police subsequently pursued both stolen vehicles, with West running from the Suzuki and entering the Honda mid-chase.
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The 25-year-old, who was eventually arrested in Belconnen, ultimately pleaded guilty to eight charges.
These included attempted aggravated robbery and two counts each of aggravated burglary and theft.
In the court's drug and alcohol sentencing list on Thursday, acting Justice Richard Refshauge detailed victim impact statements authored by the victims of the Casey intrusion.
He said the "violated" female home owner had described that incident as a "traumatic" one that had left her "constantly frightened" when in the house.
The male home owner described the place as their "dream home", saying the exciting experience of living there had been taken away and replaced by a compulsion to double- and triple-check locks at night.
The victims of the Throsby home invasion did not provide impact statements but acting Justice Refshauge said the court could infer that incident would have been "terrifying" for the elderly woman in particular.
He indicated he had seen pictures of the knife West wielded, describing it as a "fearsome" looking weapon.
The judge went on to say West, who endured a "chaotic" childhood, had a history of substance abuse that began at the age of 11 or 12.
West's "drug of choice" ultimately became methamphetamine, which he was under the influence of at the time of his latest crimes.
Acting Justice Refshauge received multiple character references tendered on West's behalf and accepted the offender was remorseful, though he would have liked the 25-year-old to show more empathy for his victims.
The judge ultimately said he planned to sentence West to a four-year jail term but make a drug and alcohol treatment order, which is served in the community rather than in custody.
He said he would formally make the order next Monday, when West would be admitted to a residential rehabilitation facility in which to start his treatment program.
West will therefore spend another few days behind bars at Canberra's jail.
"I hope you stay strong for that period of time," the judge told him.
Associate Justice Verity McWilliam previously sentenced co-offender Dawson to three years and eight months in jail, with a non-parole period of 18 months.
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