A man who rammed the front gates of the United States Embassy in Yarralumla while under delusions he was being stalked by Chinese spies has escaped a conviction on mental health grounds.
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Adrian Richardson, 30, fled from the mental health high dependency unit at Canberra Hospital before he drove his Peugeot hatchback into the embassy's main security gate on the evening of July 10, last year.
He previously pleaded not guilty to damaging the residence of an internationally protected person and appeared during a brief trial in the ACT Supreme Court on Tuesday.
The court heard Mr Richardson had left the hospital, where he had been treated as an in-patient for five days, after a court order to keep him there expired.
He then caught a taxi to his brother's Canberra home, picked up his car and drove towards the embassy.
A security guard patrolling the residence saw the car's headlights switch off before he turned into the driveway about 5.45pm.
He had revved the car's engine and accelerated into the 3.4 metre-high gates at an estimated 50km/h.
The impact caused significant damage to the gates and breached the high-security embassy's perimeter.
Mr Richardson, who is from Queensland, was stopped by police and security guards after he got out of the car unharmed.
A witness said he was "calm, polite and coherent" as he gave various reasons for driving into the gates, at one point saying he "did it to get attention so someone would listen to me".
He also repeatedly said: "It was a last resort, I had to do it."
Mr Richardson told police he was trying to seek asylum in the United States as he had been a witness in a high-profile court case involving a Fortune 500 company.
He had also believed he was being followed by Chinese government spies, who he claimed had bugged his phone, computer and iPad.
He told police he needed to be in police custody to feel safe.
Mental health professionals diagnosed Mr Richardson with a psychotic illness and said he suffered from a delusional disorder, the court heard.
He was ambivalent about taking his medication but presented a low risk of harm to himself and others.
The court heard the embassy gates were later replaced at a cost of $15,200.
Justice John Burns told the jury the case was unusual because both Commonwealth prosecutors and Mr Richardson's defence team agreed on the facts of the incident and would argue he should not be found guilty.
Prosecutor Natasha Case said the only aspect of the case that was under dispute was whether the defendant suffered from a mental impairment at the time of the offence.
A jury was required to reach a verdict on that matter because the incident was a Commonwealth offence.
In his closing remarks, Mr Burns acknowledged before the jury that "all the evidence goes one way".
To acquit Mr Richardson on mental health grounds, Mr Burns said the jury had to be satisfied Mr Richardson either didn't know the nature of his offending, he didn't know what he did was wrong, or he wasn't capable of controlling his conduct.
The jury deliberated for just 15 minutes before it found Mr Richardson not guilty due to mental impairment.
Mr Burns noted Mr Richardson had been treated by Queensland mental health services and had shown some insight into his illness.
He ordered he undergo psychiatric treatment for the next three years.
The case highlighted the territory's lack of a medium- to long-term facility for people with a mental illness when it was delayed in the ACT Magistrates Court last year.
Mr Richardson's lawyer at that time was critical of the fact there was no option for his client other than hospital or prison while the matter was before court.
