Almost a year after his arms and legs were bound, and he was gagged with a pair of socks, a physically disabled man continues to check his locks to make sure he is safe in his own home.
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The 38-year-old cannot walk without assistance, which made him a target for Craig Simmonds, who in April last year had been the prescription drug-addicted neighbour who lived in the same block of Wodonga units.
He tied him up, stole his wallet and demanded the PIN - which he then carved into a beer carton with a knife so he could remember - then fled the unit.
The victim managed to get free, using a cigarette lighter to burn off shoelaces used to bind his feet, but the anxiety from the ordeal still remains.
"I remember feeling really scared and frightened, I thought he was going to hurt me," the man said in his victim impact statement, read out in Wodonga County Court last week.
"I don't feel safe in my home, especially at night."
Simmonds has pleaded guilty to eight charges including aggravated burglary and false imprisonment.
His attempt to take money from the victim's bank account had failed, after the ATM locked him out when he used the wrong PIN for the fourth time.
He has been in custody since his arrest on April 7 and has conceded he will receive a longer jail sentence.
Judge Richard Smith described the incident as "a nasty aggravated burglary" on "a soft and vulnerable target".
Simmonds' motivation for tying up his disabled neighbour was stealing his pain medication, but he did not find what he wanted.
"The poor c--- s--- himself and it was all for $56," Simmonds later told a friend.
Barrister for Simmonds Martin Kozlowski said his client had been self-medicating to cope with a back injury that occurred while working about 10 years ago.
"He went after this unfortunate gentleman for some more medication," he said.
"My client didn't know he was disabled; he knew he was on crutches, he knew he was a soft target."
Mr Kozlowski said Simmonds' methamphetamine use had grown to one to two points per week in recent years, but he had a limited criminal history and the assault was out of character.
He has spent more than 300 days in custody so far and wrote a letter of apology to the victim.
"This has given him a new outlook on life and time to think about his offending - he is very remorseful," Mr Kozlowski said.
"Using his own words, he is 'completely disgusted'."
Judge Smith will hand down his sentence next week.
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