A Children's Court heard the woman was asleep in bed in February when the accused broke into her Ballarat home, stole her purse from her handbag, then entered her bedroom.

She screamed, and the accused pointed a knife at her and hissed.

"I truly believed my life was in danger," she said, adding she felt "extreme terror" and was "physically paralysed".

"I was woken from deep sleep, I saw two eyes and a torch.

"With the knife, the chances are he'll use it on you if you tried to defend yourself."

The accused stole her phone, keys, and a tablet before running out of the woman's home - she ran to her mother's house to phone police.

"My mother is 86, she was completely traumatised," she said. "I truly believe this incident will shorten the life she has remaining."

In her victim impact statement, she said she had since had trouble sleeping and experiences flashbacks.

"This is something you'll never forget, my mother will never get over it and my sons are devastated," she said.

"Crimes like this are like a stone in a pool, there are more people affected.

"I'm terrified of seeing his face in public, I shake in fear, thinking 'what if I see him'.

"You needed to hear the impact of your actions, and I needed to see you to know you're not a monster."

The teenager, who pleaded guilty to all charges, was also accused of breaking into Sebastopol Bowling Club, looking for valuables, and smashing a window in a construction vehicle to steal two-way radios.

He was also facing charges for stealing a separate construction vehicle - the keys to which were found in his jacket - a wallet from a swimming pool change room, and a mountain bike from a Ballarat high school.

The court was also told about his violent behaviour in a residential facility.

His defence lawyer noted the teen's traumatic upbringing and the efforts from support agencies to re-engage him, but conceded his behaviour was escalating.

While on two corrections orders and a good behaviour bond, he had been bailed by the Supreme Court in March with strict conditions, but after leaving a residential unit, he avoided police for a month.

His case will return to court later this month for sentencing.

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