A convicted armed robber who was forced into a life of crime by his drug-addicted parents has had his childhood disadvantage taken into account by a Canberra court.
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Bradley Mark Flynn, 23, is already serving five years in jail for a gunpoint robbery at a northside bank in April 2011.
He had an extra year added to his sentence in the ACT Supreme Court on Thursday after pleading guilty to dishonestly driving a car, aiding and abetting theft and aiding and abetting aggravated burglary. The court heard Flynn and another man smashed the door of a Chapman home and stole a television in 2009.
Police spotted the men and gave chase, but Flynn and his co-offender escaped into NSW.
Yass police arrested Flynn a short time later and he served time in NSW over the incident.
He pleaded not guilty to the crimes when he returned to the ACT in 2010 and was committed to stand trial in the Supreme Court.
In 2011 he was arrested after robbing the Commonwealth Bank at the Jamison Centre with a revolver and has been in custody since. The offender was sentenced to five years' jail, with a three-year non-parole period. Flynn switched his pleas to guilty for the burglary earlier this year and appeared for sentence before Justice Richard Refshauge on Thursday.
The court heard Flynn, as a child, was forced to help fund his parents' drug habits through theft. He spent much of his childhood in detention as a result and never received a proper education.
Flynn began using cannabis at 12, "ice" at 16 and moved on to heroin. The court heard he smoked 30 cones a day and used $1000 worth of methylamphetamine at the peak of his drug habit.
Flynn's offending continued into adulthood, where he has been convicted for about 130 offences.
Justice Refshauge said Flynn had an "appalling record" after being immersed in a sea of criminality from childhood.
The judge said the High Court on Wednesday, in the case of Bugmy v The Queen, acknowledged that childhood disadvantage should be taken into account in sentencing.
While the case refers to Aboriginal disadvantage, Justice Refshauge said the judgment could be applied to Flynn, whose entrenched criminality would not be easily overcome.
Justice Refshauge added an extra year to the jail sentence Flynn is currently serving, but did not change the non-parole period.
Flynn will be eligible for release in May next year. The judge also ordered Flynn repay $2209.35 for the cost of the burglary.