An armed robber who terrified a vulnerable woman near a Curtin ATM has spoken of feeling "ashamed and deeply sorry" for the lasting impact he had on his victim.
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Jonathon Monoghan, then 23, drove to the local Curtin shops with a friend in a stolen car last year.
It was still the early hours of the morning, and the pair came across a woman withdrawing cash from a Westpac ATM alone.
Monoghan had a serrated steak knife with him and called out to the woman as she walked to her car.
She ignored him and kept walking, but he called out again and threatened her.
The victim turned and, having seen the knife, handed over her wallet, which held cards and $135 cash.
The robbery was described in the ACT Supreme Court as not the most serious of offence its kind.
But the crime left a lasting impact on the woman, who wrote of her ongoing anxiety and fear in a victim impact statement.
The incident continually ran through her mind and she was constantly fearful for her children, who regularly go to Curtin shops.
"She found it very shocking and more distressing as she felt she should have been safe at the time," Justice Refshauge said on Friday.
"She continues to be nervous using automatic teller machines at the local shops and only makes cash withdrawals from a supermarket."
Reports in the news often trigger her fear and anxiety, the court heard.
Last week, Monoghan gave evidence after hearing the woman's victim impact statement.
"After hearing the impact statement, it was surreal sort of thing for me," he said.
"I feel ashamed and deeply sorry. I shouldn't have done it."
Monoghan had already been in custody for a previous aggravated robbery, and was serving a six-year, three-month jail sentence.
He has shown some signs of rehabilitation since being in prison, partially completing a drug and alcohol program and abstaining from illicit substances.
Justice Refshauge sentenced Monoghan for the Curtin aggravated robbery on Friday, adding another nine months to his head sentence, making a total of seven years imprisonment.
But he did not add time to Monoghan's non-parole period.
That means Monoghan will still be eligible for release in September next year.
The judge told him that would allow him to continue his rehabilitation and prepare for life outside of jail.
"It's going to be hard out there because you haven't been in the community for much of your adult life," he said.
Justice Refshauge warned him that unless he tried to change, he would be stuck in the "revolving door" of the justice system.
"If you put your effort into it and your heart into it, the court will support you if you make a genuine effort," he said.
