Hamilton man jailed for six years and six months over home invasion

A furniture removalist who bound and assaulted a Hamilton woman in her own home with the intent to commit a sexual offence has been jailed.

Alex Clifford Crozier, 27, pleaded guilty in the Warrnambool County Court on Monday to aggravated burglary, false imprisonment, assault with intent to commit a sexual offence and armed robbery.

On Thursday Judge Michael McConnell jailed Crozier for six years and six months with a non-parole period of three years and nine months.

He has already served 266 days in custody so will be eligible for parole in about three years.

The judge said due to drug use Crazier had suicidal thoughts and psychotic episodes.

In the lead-up to the offending he was struggling with his issues, saw a doctor the day before he offended and developed the idea to scare the victim.

Judge McConnell said there was a less than adequate explanation for the "grave offending" and therefore it was hard to assess Crozier's prospect of rehabilitation when his motivation was so obscure.

Crozier started using alcohol aged 14 years old and soon after cannabis, followed by methamphetamine after receiving an inheritance when he was 21.

The judge said the assault with an intent to commit a sexual offence was the most serious aspect of the offending.

He said the motivation behind the offending may take some time to emerge and that it was not currently apparent to the experienced psychologist, possibly needing to be further explored and treated in future.

Judge McConnell said the offending involved a degree of thought and planning and Crozier was assisted because he had previously been in the home.

Crozier took cable ties, duct tape and a flick knife with him so he could restrain and assault the victim.

The judge said security camera footage showed Crozier was in the home for 44 minutes and for most of the time the victim was "bound and had to endure Crozier's terrifying behaviour".

He said only the return of her family and a plumber "likely prevented more serious offending".

Judge McConnell said it was violent offending and the sentence needed to deter others while providing protection to the community.

On Monday: The victim of a horrifying home invasion says she fears what would have happened to her if her attacker, a furniture removalist, wasn't disturbed.

The woman was bound with cable ties and terrorised for about 30 minutes in her own home by a man armed with a knife.

Her victim impact statement was heard in Warrnambool County Court on Monday where Hamilton's Alex Crozier, 27, pleaded guilty to aggravated burglary, false imprisonment, assault with intent to commit a sexual offence and armed robbery.

The court heard Crozier attended the victim's family home as part of his job as a removalist on November 11 and 12 last year.

About 10 days later he rang his boss, told him he wasn't coming to work and never returned.

Then on November 30, Crozier drove his mother's Toyota HiLux utility to the victim's house, letting himself inside at 12.25pm.

The victim's husband and child, as well as a plumber working at the house, had left for lunch just 40 minutes earlier.

Crozier locked the doors and dragged the victim into a room where he tied her up and terrorised her.

The court heard at one point the man cut the woman's clothing with the flick knife, which she could feel on her skin.

The offending ended only when the woman's family and the plumber returned home.

Crozier told the victim's husband it was a robbery and demanded he hand over his phone.

The man obliged.

He then ran at Crozier with a chair before punching him.

Crozier ran out of the house through a side door and fled in his vehicle at 1.06pm.

Police attended and a search uncovered cable ties and a roll of duct tape.

The 20 centimetre-long flick knife was located inside the HiLux, which was found dumped in Portland on December 2.

Also located in the car was yellow rope, a piece of paper with what appeared to be blood and a note stating: "Dad, sorry about the ute, I didn't have much say in it. I love you, goodbye."

The court heard Crozier's fingerprints and DNA was located on the victim's phone and clothing, as well as inside her property.

Crozier was arrested in Point Cook the following day after his brother reported he was suffering a mental health crisis.

In a victim impact statement, the woman said she felt "overwhelmingly terrifying fear" when she thought about the "what-ifs".

"What could have happened had my husband not found me is so scary," she wrote.

The victim said she moved to Hamilton with her family after 10 years of cancer treatment.

But her happiness soon turned to a nightmare.

She said as a result of the offending, she felt violated, disrespected, angry and sad.

The victim's husband said he was still recovering from the event which left him shocked, angry and terrified.

John Lavery, representing Crozier, said his client had no criminal history, suffered ill mental health and was using methamphetamine at the time of the offending.

But the court heard Crozier's motivation for the offending remained somewhat unclear.

Mr Lavery said more psychiatric material would be needed to understand if there was a link between Crozier's background circumstances and the nature of his crimes.

The matter was adjourned to August 25 when the man is expected to be sentenced.

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