Dennis Fisher pleads guilty to aggravated burglary, used bicycle to smash living room window

The incident, which occurred in Griffith, was revealed in sentencing remarks published by the ACT Supreme Court on Wednesday.

In them, Acting Justice Peter Berman said Dennis John Fisher and two disguised men, one who wielded a knife, had "gained access to the unit in a rather spectacular way".

A woman, Fisher's ex-partner, and a man in the home were woken up by the sound of the break-in, which the judge said was done with "intent to cause harm to those who were inside".

"It does not take much imagination to understand that this would have been an extremely terrifying experience for the two people inside," Acting Justice Berman said.

During the home invasion, which took place in the early hours of an unspecified morning, Fisher attacked the man by kicking him in the chest and throwing punches that did not make contact.

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He pleaded guilty to charges of aggravated burglary, property damage and common assault.

The other two men, who were not named in the remarks, were said to have "adopted fighting positions" around the male victim before one fled the home.

The female victim was confronted by the man with a knife before the remaining home invaders left through the smashed living room window.

On their way out, the offenders also smashed the front windscreen and driver's side window of a car belonging to Fisher's ex-partner.

The judge said the consequences of the incident continued to this day for the female victim, noting her "eloquent" victim impact statement.

"They are not only psychological, such as her suffering from trauma and anxiety with panic attacks and being uncomfortable going out in public, but financial as well," he said.

"She has not been able to drive her car since the offending because she cannot afford to get it fixed."

Fisher was sentenced in January to two years in jail, with a non-parole period of one year.

Acting Justice Berman said Fisher's moral culpability was considerably reduced due to the link between his offending and psychiatric illness of schizophrenia.

Fisher also suffers from epilepsy, substance use disorder, for which he is in remission, and has an intellectual disability, all of which were considered in his sentence.

"He will do his time in custody harder and has done his time in custody harder too," the judge's remarks said.

"Prisons are horrible places at the best of times, but they are even more difficult for those suffering from mental illness."

With his sentence backdated to account for time served on remand, Fisher will become eligible for parole in July.

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