Kotzmann's reputation for violence, armed robbery and burglary – to condense 16 pages of prior convictions over 30 years – is matched in notoriety by a considerable intellect spent representing himself in countless court hearings.

"Fool for a client" is the maxim for the unrepresented, but this adept "jail" lawyer has often appeared skilfully, if not often ultimately successfully, for himself, armed with well-briefed cunning and case law in every jurisdiction up to the state's highest court. One case, however, established a significant appeal point on miscarriage of justice.

It was, of course, Kotzmann's legal right to file and argue actions, allegations, convictions and sentences, opposition to his bail, conditions in custody or parole issues, even if  delays, disruptions or dismantled hearings resulted.

The very appearance of his name on a court file may well have driven members of the judiciary and others to strong drink at the prospect of yet another dense, constitutional point of law or hare-brained submission, albeit meticulously researched and presented.

And yet, "I've got a soft spot for him," admits one barrister, who recalls his courteous and impressive manner and immense, yet wasted potential, while a QC admires him as "one of the better bush lawyers".

Of course, there are plenty who aren't fans of the former Trinity College and Geelong Grammar student with a talent for classical piano who, apparently, played under 19s football with Hawthorn – particularly those terrified bank tellers eyeballing the barrel of his shotgun.

"Stay away," said one defence solicitor in response to his name. "I've nothing against him. He's very charming, but a very difficult client."

And another: "You're often fighting the police, the prosecution and the courts and you've got to be very careful with your clients. With him it's 10 times worse."

Fourteen years ago, budding barrister Christopher Boyce was battling to articulate for him a point in the Court of Appeal when the then president, Justice John Winneke, asked him to sit down and invited Kotzmann to stand in the dock.

The president expressed concern about issues with Kotzmann's sentence and asked him to address the bench of three.

Buttoning his suit, Kotzmann cheekily congratulated Justice Frank Vincent on his  elevation to the court, a courtesy that followed an earlier eruption at a parole board hearing Justice Vincent had sat on which had refused Kotzmann's application.

His submissions brilliantly crystallised his case, but he still lost.

A woman with a hatred of Kotzmann once told a jury she was happy to help finger him for an armed robbery because he was a "monster ... he doesn't deserve to be out and about."

Well, he is now, and the faces in the County Court of prosecution team Matt Fisher and Melody Mackaness, lead investigator Senior Detective Kellie Graham and Kotzmann's lawyer, Brett Tait, as they awaited Judge Mark Taft's sentence of Kotzmann last week, showed huge relief.

They had worked with defence barrister Andrew Dickinson to resolve his numerous police briefs that, if contested, threatened to suck precious court time and drain resources from an always stretched court system – and with a cranky, litigious and uncompromising Kotzmann in the dock.

He had earlier pleaded guilty to burglary, recklessly causing injury and robbery committed in 2012 when he assaulted a man – and took six firearms from a gun safe – during Kotzmann's efforts to recover a $20,000 debt owed to a woman.

In one of his more than 20 bail applications, he reckoned there was "no regulation on debt collecting in Victoria".

Judge Taft accepted resolving the case was of "very significant utilitarian benefit" and sentenced him to three years' jail, declared 764 days already served on remand and suspended the balance for two years.

A relieved Mr Fisher then crossed the road to tell magistrate Susie Cameron the good news that Judge Taft had taken into account 35 other charges against Kotzmann that she could now strike out.

With Judge Taft's words possibly resonating – "if the best indicator of your capacity to abide by the law in the future is your proven track record," he said, "your prospects could only be described as bleak" – Kotzmann told Fairfax Media when asked if he could stay out of trouble: "I'll give it a crack."