Mathew Lawrence Allen sentenced over brutal bashing of Unanderra neighbour

Mathew Lawrence Allen, 43, was wearing a camouflage "ghillie suit" mask and pink dishwashing gloves when he assaulted the victim in the early hours on January 17 last year.

Wollongong District Court heard Allen was yelling abuse outside his neighbour's unit before knocking on the door. When the victim answered, Allen confronted him and said:

"I'm a woman basher, am I? You think you're a big man, talking behind my back?"

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Allen then entered the unit, punching his neighbour of five years in a "motiveless" attack several times.

As the victim attempted to protect himself, Allen continued to throw punches, leaving the male with scratches to his eyebrows, ear, jaw and with red marks on his neck.

Allen then made threats to kill the victim as the punching continued before he fled the unit, the court heard.

The victim called triple-0 and despite the ghillie mask, he was able to identify Allen as he could see through it.

When officers arrived shortly after, they located the mask near a set of stairs which contained Allen's DNA.

Allen was arrested an hour later and taken to Lake Illawarra Police Station.

He pleaded guilty to common assault occasioning actual bodily harm and aggravated break, enter and commit an indictable offence earlier this year, and was handed his sentence on Monday.

Judge Andrew Haesler read out the victim's impact statement which detailed the long-lasting mental toll the violent crime has had on his life.

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The victim, who felt "as if he was going to die that night", still struggles with nightmares over the attack and is overcome with fear when he answers his front door, the statement said.

In sentencing, Judge Haesler said considering the "seriousness" of the home invasion alongside Allen's "significant mental health conditions" was a balancing exercise.

The court heard Allen did not remember the committing the crime due to having an "epileptic episode" exacerbated by intoxication at the time.

"There court is confronted with a difficult discretionary decision," Judge Haesler said.

"In some cases the offences are so serious, full time detention could meet the purposes of sentences. In others, a more nuanced approach is required ... where there is an underlying neurological condition."

The offender has a history of waking up with no memory, as well as dealing with trauma following the murder of his sister when he was 23 years old.

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He also has diagnosed attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and major depressive disorder, the court heard.

Judge Haesler sentenced Allen to two years and six months in prison, to be served in the community, with a non-parole period of one year and three months.

Strict conditions were imposed including that Allen continue psychiatric and neurological treatment, to engage in alcohol-related programs, and to engage with an epilepsy support group.

Read more Illawarra court and crime stories here.

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