Two female housemates who were awoken, assaulted and forced to shower to remove evidence expressed the ongoing effects of the crimes, which a judge described as "a woman's worst nightmare".
James Dudley March, 35, faced the ACT Supreme Court on Friday after pleading guilty to burglary and two counts each of assault occasioning actual bodily harm, unlawful confinement, and threatening a person to deter them from participating in a criminal investigation.
Court facts show March entered an Ainslie home through an unlocked bathroom window about 2.15am on March 4 and asked one victim: "Why didn't you answer your phone?"
The woman woke and did not recognise March, asking him why he was in her house. However, he did not respond and climbed on top of her while the woman screamed for her housemate.
The housemate woke up and came to her friend's room when March said: "It's OK, it's OK, nothing's wrong."
The woman asked him to leave again and offered to open the front door.
March did not leave the house and instead forced the two women into a bedroom, saying words to the effect of "I'm going to have to do this" before grabbing them by their hair and forcing them face down onto the bed.
The two women screamed and tried to escape March's grip but were unable to, at one stage asking him: "What do you want from us?"
March asked the two women's names and they gave him false ones.
He looked confused, before saying: "I was told to come to this house, but I've got the wrong people."
The offender then said to the two women "don't do anything stupid" and forced them to have a shower to wash away evidence.
After the two women showered, March threatened them to not tell police because it would put them at risk of dangerous people coming to get them.
Upon speaking to their parents the next day, the two women reported the crime to police.
March was arrested on May 18 at his home in Bondi, and extradited from NSW to the ACT the next day.
During sentence proceedings on Friday, the two women described how they were unable to feel safe in their Ainslie home.
Just two weeks into their lease, they had to break it and incur significant moving costs.
One woman said in the days following the incident, she felt "constantly tired, had trouble focusing ... and got nothing done".
"I felt dead," she said.
She also spoke about being enrolled in her PhD and the assault making her have "an emotional breakdown".
"I am determined to not let this crime fit the trajectory of my life," the woman told the court.
The other woman described being anxious and said she "would never feel comfortable being alone, especially at night time".
Justice Chrissa Loukas-Karlsson described both women's statements as "eloquent" and said the court "appreciated and understood" what they went through.
"It is a woman's worst nightmare to be awoken in her home that way, and the court understands," she said.
In submissions, prosecutor Sam Bargwanna argued March should have a long period of imprisonment due to him being on parole for an offence when he broke into another home and raped a woman.
"He had been given the benefit of the opportunity to rehabilitate in the community and he did not make the most of that opportunity," Mr Bargwanna said.
Alyn Doig, March's barrister, said the offender's history was not in his favour.
However, small "glimmers" were in his favour, such as his early pleas of guilty and the three-month period of good behaviour between the offence and police arresting him.
"Mr March is a difficult man, who says that he needs help but has difficulty in taking help," Mr Doig said.
Justice Loukas-Karlsson is expected to sentence March on February 17.
In the meantime, March remains in custody.
