A BENDIGO man who had a stand-off with police after threatening to blow up his house with a bomb has been jailed for one month.
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Mitchell Dale Cahill, 21, appeared in the Bendigo Magistrates' Court on Tuesday where he pleaded guilty to two charges.
The court heard at 11.11am on August 8, 2019, a maternal health nurse went to Cahill's Bendigo home to check on his child.
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The 21-year-old refused to let the woman inside the property, instead telling her through the closed front door that he had a bomb and he would blow the house up.
The woman contacted police and officers arrived to find Cahill locked inside the property.
The 21-year-old told police he had a large hunting knife, that he was hearing voices, and that he wanted the police to shoot him.
The police tried to negotiate with Cahill and heard a taser go off inside the property at one point.
After about 30 minutes of negotiating, Cahill surrendered himself to police peacefully.
His taser was seized and he was transported to Bendigo Health, where he received treatment for two days.
On October 22, Cahill brought himself into the Bendigo Police Station where he was charged and interviewed.
He admitted to telling the woman he would blow up the house but said he never had a bomb.
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Defence lawyer Tim Smurthwaite told the court there had been "a lot of water under the bridge" since the 2019 offending.
Mr Smurthwaite said Cahill had been convicted and jailed in the County Court for a 2020 armed robbery.
The defence lawyer said the 21-year-old was eligible for parole for that offending, but the 2019 charges were limiting his chances of being released.
Mr Smurthwaite said Cahill's psychiatric illnesses were driven by substance abuse, which included cannabis and ice at the time of the offending.
The defence lawyer said Cahill had benefited from his time in custody, as he was now clean from drugs and his mental health had improved.
Mr Smurthwaite submitted that a short jail term was the appropriate sentence.
Magistrate Sharon McRae said the incident would have been "very frightening" for the maternal health nurse and the police.
Ms McRae said she accepted Cahill now understood the fear he would have caused.
Cahill was convicted and sentenced to one month in prison. If he did not plead guilty, he would have been jailed for three months.
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