A Canberra man who broke into the Canberra airport in 2023 and drove a stolen Virgin van around the tarmac, crashing through the perimeter fence three times, has been sentenced to three years in jail.

Mikhaylo Mindelis, 33, faced charges including entering the airport without permission, endangering the safety of a Commonwealth aerodrome and damaging property.

He was also charged with burglary and theft, after earlier in the night breaking into a plant shop, where he stole two phones, keys to a car, cash and a pair of gumboots.

Material released by the court shows Mandelis broke into the airport by climbing a security fence, breaking strands of barbed wire along the top of the three-metre fence.

He was also carrying a piece of wood about a metre long and brandishing it as he walked aro

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