A Sydney teenager has confessed to subjecting a Coledale family to a terrifying armed home invasion in the lead up to Christmas.
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Isiah Campbell, 18, entered the two-storey home just after 1.30am on December 18 using a rear sliding door that had been left partially open for an elderly dog at the premises.
Removing his Nike-branded sneakers and placing them neatly on a matt inside the doorway, Campbell made his way directly to the kitchen where he grabbed a 20cm knife from the bench.
He then began moving from room to room, picking up items of value as he went and placing them in a pile next to his shoes near the door.
Meantime, a woman who had been asleep in the room told police she woke at 1.40am to a dark shadow on the opposite side of the bed.
Believing it was her husband she called out to him, however quickly realised it wasn't him when he responded from inside the bed.
Campbell, now within half a metre of the couple, brandished the knife and pointed it at the woman, causing her to scream and ask Campbell what he wanted.
The couple's daughters, one an adult, the other aged nine, were sleeping in another bedroom and overheard their mother's scream and Campbell's demands for passwords, electronics and money.
The eldest daughter got up, picked up the little girl and put her in a cupboard, telling her "whatever happens, you've got to stay in the cupboard and not move".
The adult daughter then spent 20 minutes on the phone with a triple zero operator, describing what she was hearing and resisting the urge to intervene.
One of two constables who arrived at the house a short time later reported seeing Campbell walking the mother out of one of the rooms while holding a knife to her back.
He said Campbell looked directly at him at the time, providing him with a "clear and unrestricted" view of the teenager's face.
Campbell immediately fled the scene - minus his shoes.
Court documents said he could be seen throwing the family's property away as he ran down the road.
He was found hiding inside a car a few houses away a short time later.
Campbell was arrested and charged with aggravated entering of a dwelling and armed robbery.
He pleaded guilty to both charges in Wollongong Local Court on Tuesday.
He will remain on bail ahead of his sentencing in Wollongong District Court next month.
He did not speak to waiting media as he left the courthouse on Wednesday.