Salvatori Anthony Spizzica last week pleaded guilty in the County Court in Ballarat to one count each of making an explosive substance without lawful excuse and reckless conduct endangering a person.

He was yesterday convicted and sentenced to 15 months' jail, with a non-parole period of six months.

The court had heard Spizzica, 32, was just a week out of hospital when he built the molotov cocktail at his former house in Gillies St and launched it at the victim on January 13 last year.

The bomb, consisting of petrol, nail polish remover, bullets and gunpowder, hit a letterbox and exploded into flames, but did not injure the victim.

Two other men, with the victim at the time of the attack, were also unharmed.

The trio had gone to Spizzica's house armed with a cricket bat and crossbow stock, believing he had assaulted one of their fathers earlier that day.

Defence lawyer Mike Wardell had told the court while his client accepted responsibility for his actions, the offence was the result of a long chain of events.

Mr Wardell urged the court to consider imposing a non-custodial sentence, stating Spizzica was remorseful and had not been involved in any further violence with the victims.

But Judge Susan Cohen yesterday said imprisonment was the only appropriate sentence, describing Spizzica's behaviour as deliberate and dangerous.

"Your use of this device, even though the other men may have come looking for confrontation, was totally unjustified, was dangerous in the extreme and exposed not only those men in its vicinity to the risk of injury, but the people, including children,

in your house to the trauma of witnessing such events," she said.

"The message must be sent unequivocally to you and anyone else contemplating such action that to resort to such dangerous devices will receive unequivocal punishment.

"The community will not tolerate people making bombs to use on others."

Spizzica blew a kiss to his family, seated in the court's gallery, after Judge Cohen handed down her sentence.

He waved and signalled a thumbs up as he was escorted from the court dock.