A man with a decades-long history of "appalling" crimes has been jailed for more than two years after breaking a woman's jaw, threatening her with a machete and lighting her garage on fire.
Michael John Robertson, 49, was sentenced in the ACT Supreme Court on Friday after pleading guilty to charges of unlawfully causing grievous bodily harm, property damage and common assault.
He has been in custody since November 20 last year, when he argued with the victim at her Chisholm home before making threats and striking her in the face, fracturing her lower right jaw.
Court documents reveal Robertson then started the blaze and took off over the back fence.
He was arrested at a nearby oval later that day, repeatedly threatening to slit the throat of a police officer as he was taken into custody.
Robertson later claimed he was unable to remember what had happened because he was intoxicated.
In his sentencing submissions, Crown prosecutor Anthony Williamson said the victim had been unable to eat solid food for six weeks as a result of her injury, which had required surgery.
He said the garage had been "significantly" damaged by fire, with the remainder of the property affected by smoke.
Mr Williamson described Robertson's significant criminal history, which lists 18 pages worth of crimes committed in the ACT alone, as "appalling".
The 49-year-old's previous convictions include offences such as armed robbery and neglecting a child.
Mr Williamson said Robertson had been given the benefit of lenient sentences "time and time again", only for him to continue committing serious crimes.
"There is now limited scope for leniency," the prosecutor said.
"Only a lengthy sentence ... involving further full-time imprisonment is appropriate."
In court on Friday, Robertson's barrister Katrina Musgrove conceded more time behind bars was the only possible punishment.
But she asked Justice Michael Elkaim to refer her client to the ACT Civil and Administrative Tribunal for a mental health assessment before handing down a sentence.
Ms Musgrove said Robertson had been diagnosed with bipolar, post-traumatic stress and alcohol use disorders.
As a consequence, she said, an assessment under the tribunal's jurisdiction would eventually help Justice Elkaim craft the best possible sentence of "individualised justice".
Ms Musgrove said Robertson appeared to have turned his life around for several years before his latest offending, and the issue of his rehabilitation was still "very much alive".
But Mr Williamson opposed the proposed referral, saying it would "unnecessarily delay and frustrate the [court] proceedings".
He accepted that Robertson had mental health issues, but said that was true of most criminals.
If Robertson's impairment had been so severe, Mr Williamson argued, it would have been used as a defence to the charges.
Justice Elkaim ultimately declined to make a referral, saying it would be unnecessary and that it was "very important" to sentence offenders as early as possible.
He said it was clear Robertson was probably suffering from mental health issues at the relevant time, but those had not necessarily caused the man to be violent.
The judge sentenced Robertson to two years and 22 days behind bars, and imposed a non-parole period of 17 months.
"I respectfully recommend to the prison authorities that consideration be given to the offender's mental health condition and the need for appropriate treatment," Justice Elkaim said.
With time already served on remand, Robertson will become eligible for release in April 2021.
