Justin Daniel Maliganis, 36, was sentenced in the ACT Supreme Court on Tuesday for a large number of burglary, theft and car theft offences, and for robbing Cash Converters in Woden at knifepoint.

He pleaded guilty to more than 20 offences committed across Canberra, including at Red Hill, Monash, and Fadden, in 2010 and 2011.

He was also accused of taking two luxury cars, and led police on a high-speed pursuit, which was stopped when police laid spikes on the road at Symonston.

The court heard that Maliganis suffered from a serious mental illness and had an extensive drug habit.
Maliganis had left ‘‘spiritual notes’’ for victims, which he claimed showed his remorse.

On one occasion, he was disturbed by home owners during a burglary in Fadden, but drove away from the scene.

Later that evening, police discovered a shopping bag left on the driveway of the home, with a laptop stolen from the home, a bus ticket, a purse, and a letter addressed to one of the home owners.

Maliganis had left several notes on the items inside the bag.

‘‘I’m sorry girls, I’m very desperate, you may never forgive me, who would? But I have blessed both of you, you have my heart. You’ll never see me again,’’ one of the notes read.

‘‘Get better security. Modern security is invincible,’’ he wrote on the bus ticket.

The phrase ‘‘You’ll get ’em kid’’ was also written on the back of the envelope.

Maliganis told an earlier sentencing hearing that he never took anything that looked ‘‘meaningful’’ to the owners of the homes, and would not go into the rooms of children.

A real estate agent discovered Maliganis living in a home in Broulee, which was supposed to be empty, along with a stash of stolen goods taken from homes in Canberra in early 2011.

Justice John Burns said he had shown some understanding of the impact of his crimes on victims.
Maliganis had also shown some remorse, responsibility, and regret for his actions, the court heard.
Justice Burns said his mental health problems made him impulsive and led to poor judgment. But he said there was little evidence to suggest the mental issues were a direct cause of the crimes.

The court heard that mental illness did not obscure Maliganis’ intent to commit the crimes, and that he was aware of the wrongfulness of his actions. Justice Burns said the offences were committed for material gain to help fuel a drug habit.

Maliganis was sentenced to 10 years’ jail, backdated to 7 March, 2011. He will be eligible for parole in September 2017.