Mikhaylo Mindelis climbed the fence of the Canberra Airport in October 2023. Photo: James Coleman.
During the dangerous nighttime escapade of a meth addict, the man broke into the Canberra Airport, stole a van, drove it across the runway and repeatedly crashed it through the facility’s fence.
Mikhaylo Mindelis began his crime spree by burglarising Provincial Plants and Landscapes at Pialligo, where he stole a number of items, including $300 in cash, on 28 October 2023.
He then climbed over the airport’s three metre-high barbed wire fence in the early hours of the next morning and walked across the airside area while brandishing a metre-long piece of timber.
He found an unattended van, leased to Virgin Australia, parked near the airport terminal and loaded his piece of timber into it before driving off.
Mindelis drove across the taxiway and runway to the other side of the airport, then crashed through the fence and onto Fairbairn Golf Course.
He drove around the golf course for a while before smashing his way through another part of the fence into the airport again, crossed the facility for the second time, and crashed through the fence again onto Fairbairn Avenue.
In total, he spent 20 minutes driving inside the airport, including with the van’s headlights turned off, and caused more than $10,000-worth of damage to its fence.
Parts of the van broke off each time he smashed through the fence, and the $23,000 vehicle was written off.
“By driving inside the airport without having been trained in how to do so safely, the offender endangered airport infrastructure, including landing lights, airport markers, windsocks, weather instrumentation, communication relays and runway signs,” the ACT Supreme Court’s Justice Louise Taylor said in her sentencing remarks that were released late last week.
“In addition, by making the van less visible, the offender created a risk that another vehicle or aircraft would collide with the van.
“In these ways, the offender endangered the safety of the airport and staff of the airport and also endangered the safety of passengers and crew of aircraft which may have been using the airport.”
Mindelis, who handed himself in to police and made full admissions, pleaded guilty to charges of endangering the safety of a Commonwealth aerodrome, burglary, theft and damaging property.
He also had to be dealt with for transferred charges of entering an airside area without permission and unlicenced driving.
Justice Taylor said he was born in Ukraine, moved to Australia with his family when he was four and experienced a disadvantaged childhood.
He was living in Ainslie Village on welfare payments before he went into custody, but wanted to move to Melbourne to be closer to his family.
He also said he started using methamphetamine when he was 25, to which he quickly became addicted, and had more recently been diagnosed with schizophrenia.
Justice Taylor was satisfied there was a direct connection between his mental impairment and offending.
Mindelis has remained in custody since November 2023, including on other matters.
He was convicted and sentenced to a total of three years’ jail, suspended from 29 October 2025 to serve a two-year good behaviour order, which means he has been released from custody.
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