A Canberra man has pleaded guilty to helping to abduct a child from a care home in Belconnen.
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The 22-year-old sparked a massive manhunt when he snatched the 18-month-old girl from the Barnardos Care House in August.
The man and the child, along with the child's mother, were found by NSW police in bushland near Batemans Bay the following day. Both adults were charged.
The man was armed with a kitchen knife and replica gun when he entered the care home via an unlocked door about 12.30pm.
He told a Barnardos staff member to "get on the ground and count to 100, I am going to search the house".
The staff member saw the mother take hold of the baby and a short time later leave with the man.
The man, who has been in custody since his arrest, pleaded guilty in the ACT Magistrates Court on Tuesday to aggravated burglary and aiding in the unlawful taking of a child.
The prosecution withdrew charges of common assault and unlawfully taking a child.
Magistrate Karen Fryar ordered that a pre-sentence report be prepared and committed the matter to the ACT Supreme Court for sentence.
The man did not apply for bail.
The matter will come before the court in February.
