A teenager wreaked havoc across Canberra's south in a bid to fund his $1000-a-day drug habit, using an axe to carjack a taxi driver during a crime spree a judge has described as "awful".
Video of the cab robbery was played in the ACT Supreme Court on Monday, when Justice David Mossop sentenced Corey Girvan, now aged 20, to five years and three months in jail.
The judge imposed a non-parole period of two years and nine months on the Banks man, who had previously pleaded guilty to eight charges.
Each of the charges, which included two counts of aggravated robbery and two attempts at the same offence, stemmed from crimes Girvan committed early on May 21 last year.
Aged 19 at the time, he and two unidentified co-offenders began their offending by stealing a Ford Ranger from a Banks home and using its owner's Mastercard to buy cigarettes.
Later, in a Phillip car park, he used a knife to smash the window of a Toyota RAV4 taxi while trying to take the vehicle from its owner, who had been sleeping in it.
The awoken owner managed to flee, pursued for a short time by the stolen Ranger before getting away by heading for the Woden Police Station.
Girvan and his fellows went next to Weston Creek, where he wielded a machete in an attempt to steal a second Ford Ranger.
That vehicle's owner, who had been listening to music while smoking a joint inside, drove onto a footpath in order to escape.
The offenders pursued him at excessive speeds for about 20 minutes before he shook them off by driving to the same police station as the earlier victim.
Girvan's crime spree, still far from over, subsequently moved to Duffy.
There, he used an axe to smash a second taxi driver's window while demanding money from the man.
Girvan eventually yelled at this victim to "get out of the car, c---" and warned "I'll f--- you with an axe".
After reaching through the smashed window and taking the driver's keys, Girvan taunted him.
"Get out, dickhead," the offender said. "You got no keys. Get out. It's my car."
The second taxi driver, who has been unable to work after dark ever since, ultimately complied, and Girvan drove off in the cab.
Girvan was subsequently part of another aggravated robbery, which also occurred in Duffy.
This offence involved the group of offenders, armed with guns and a knife, assaulting a man outside his house in order to steal his phone.
Police arrested Girvan the following month, having identified him through CCTV footage and a description given by one of his victims.
He was refused bail and had spent nearly nine months behind bars before Monday's sentencing.
Girvan's barrister, James Sabharwal, told the court his client had been offending to support a drug habit, which the court heard had cost him $1000-a-day at the time of his crimes.
Mr Sabharwal asked Justice Mossop to refer the case to the court's drug and alcohol sentencing list, where treatment orders can be made, noting Girvan's youth and guilty pleas.
Prosecutor Chamil Wanigaratne labelled Girvan's offences "reprehensible", telling the court the footage of the successful carjacking showed how "terrifying" the crime spree would have been for the victims.
Mr Wanigaratne noted Girvan had described experiencing a drug-induced psychosis, which had left him with little memory of the crime spree.
"But that's cold comfort for the victims," the prosecutor told the court.
"They will remember this for the rest of their lives."
In sentencing, Justice Mossop branded Girvan's offending "an awful and intense crime spree".
The judge accepted Girvan had been "desperate" to fund his methamphetamine addiction, but he noted this was an explanation for the crimes rather than an excuse.
Justice Mossop declined to refer Girvan to the drug and alcohol sentencing list, noting the offender had recently declined to take part in a rehabilitation program and been "disrespectful" to prison guards.
"It may be, by reason of his youth, he has not yet realised the need for reform," the judge said.
However, Justice Mossop said Girvan's age and "modest" criminal history suggested the 20-year-old may achieve rehabilitation if he was able to eventually able to address his drug addiction.
Members of Girvan's family told him to "behave" and "be good" as he was led out of the courtroom.
With time already served on remand, he will become eligible for parole in March 2025.
