A gun-toting robber stole Nick Kyrgios' Tesla during a drug-induced psychosis, believing "he could communicate with Elon Musk" through the vehicle.
The man's theft of the tennis star's bright green car "was, in his mind, an attempt to protect society rather than to harm anyone," Acting Justice Rebecca Christensen said on Tuesday.
The robber is well known to police and almost 20 years ago he struck and killed a 21-year-old woman while driving a stolen car during a police pursuit. He was only 14 at the time.
The Canberra Times has chosen to refer to the man's role in the death of Clea Rose and therefore cannot name him because he was a child at the time.
The robber's sentence for his most recent crimes was handed down in the ACT Supreme Court's drug and alcohol sentencing list on Tuesday.
He received a four-year-and-six-month jail term with an almost three-year non-parole period, backdated to take time already served in custody into account.
The man previously pleaded guilty to aggravated robbery, driving a motor vehicle without consent and failing to stop for police.
'We cannot bring back peace stolen from us'
In May 2023, Mr Kyrgios's mother, Norlaila, opened the front door of the family home to the sight of a masked man pointing a long-barrelled firearm at her.
The man demanded keys to her son's bright green Tesla, stole the vehicle and led police on a pursuit across several Canberra suburbs.
During the pursuit, Mr Kyrgios used the Tesla app to limit the car's speed to 80kmh and track its movements for police.
Speaking outside court on Tuesday, Nick Kyrgios's sister, Halimah Kyrgios, told reporters her family was pleased with the sentence.
"However, we cannot bring back the peace that the man stole from us," she said through tears.
"We don't wish the trauma we have suffered on anyone, and hope this serves as a catalyst for the courts to be less lenient on the offenders they say have learnt from their mistakes and keep making the same promises again and again."
In a statement previously read to the court by a lawyer, Mr Kyrgios said the robbery was a traumatic experience which has left him unable to sleep, "affecting my mental health and my livelihood".
'Crazy thoughts running through my head'
On Tuesday, Acting Justice Christensen said the robber was suffering "delusions" about microchips and vaccines at the time of the "highly planned" theft.
"[The] theme of delusions were that he was being persecuted and people in power were persecuting others," she stated.
The judge found that while the man "went directly to the house where the distinctive vehicle was parked in the driveway", he was not targeting the Kyrgios family.
The masked-thief had said "crazy thoughts were running through my head and I was trying to protect myself, people were trying to hurt me".
Acting Justice Christensen ultimately found the crimes were too serious for a drug and alcohol treatment order, and more time behind bars was warranted.
She said the man's lengthy criminal history, starting when he was 12-years-old, showed "continuing disobedience of the law".
However, the judge did acknowledge the man's desire for rehabilitation and "strong motivation for change".
He will be eligible for parole in March 2026.
- Support is available for those who may be distressed. Phone Lifeline 13 11 14; MensLine 1300 789 978; beyondblue 1300 224 636; 1800-RESPECT 1800 737 732.
