A husband who threatened to kill his recently estranged wife before he drove their car into Lake Ginninderra in an attempt to drown her has pleaded guilty.
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Randall Shawn Williams, 51, made repeated threats to harm himself and his former partner as he was driving towards the lake one evening in July last year.
Their volatile 28-year marriage had ended when the pair separated shortly before the violent episode.
The pair had been locked in a dispute over their car as Williams vowed: "Fine, if you don't give it to me, no one will have it.
"I will take the pair of us out and drive it into the lake."
Williams was later charged and pleaded guilty to threatening to kill and unlawful confinement in the ACT Supreme Court on Friday.
Court documents said the pair had argued over ownership of their Holden sedan after the woman picked up her husband from work at Fyshwick in the car on July 31.
Williams told her to get out so he could drive and began to yell abuse, saying he would kill her, as he drove erratically to Belconnen.
He made a sharp turn from Ginninderra Drive into the Diddams Close car park near the lake and started to drive towards the boat ramp.
Williams accelerated hard and plunged the front of the car into the lake, braking at the last minute but hitting the surface with such force that water splashed over the bonnet and windscreen.
The wife tried to get out, according to court documents, but Williams reversed quickly so she couldn't.
She managed to escape and started to walk away as Williams performed burnouts in the car park before driving towards her as she walked along the road.
He stopped the car and told Ms Williams if she didn't get in the car with him he would return home and kill her dog.
She got in, believing she had no choice, and the pair went back to her home together.
Court documents suggested Williams made admissions to police during an interview a month after the attack.
Police say he told them that he'd "had enough" and intended to drown himself and his wife by driving the car into Lake Ginninderra.
He told them thoughts of regret and despair had gone through his mind afterwards.
Williams has been in custody at the Alexander Maconochie Centre since his arrest last August.
Justice Richard Refshauge on Friday ordered a pre-sentence report before Williams returns to court for a sentence hearing in December.
