An Eaglehawk man has admitted to a "frenzied" knife attack that left another man needing multiple stitches.
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Dylan Hicks, 21, spent the night of May 2 drinking with a female relative, the victim and two others.
In a taxi on the way home in the early hours of the following morning, Hicks became aggressive towards the victim over comments he had made about Hicks' relative, leaned across the seat and punched the victim to the jaw.
The taxi driver pulled over in Wood Street, Long Gully and pressed the duress alarm.
Hicks then got out, walked around the other side of the vehicle and tried to pull the victim from the car.
When he was unsuccessful, he pulled out a pocket knife with a three-centimetre blade and stabbed the victim numerous times in what was described in the summary of the offence as a "frenzied attack".
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Outside the taxi, Hicks hit and kicked the victim.
The victim called triple-0 from a nearby venue and was taken to hospital by ambulance, where he received 14 stitches.
He suffered multiple lacerations, scratches and bruising to his face, bruising and a puncture wound to his chest, and bruising to his arms.
Hicks was arrested that night, still in possession of the knife and with the victim's blood on him.
On Wednesday, he pleaded guilty in the Bendigo Magistrates' Court to intentionally causing injury and possessing a controlled weapon in relation to the attack, as well as possessing cannabis.
Defence lawyer Clare Wilkin asked the court to consider a community corrections order, with unpaid community work to reflect the seriousness of the offending, and treatment for Hicks' mental health and drug and alcohol addiction.
Ms Wilkin said Hicks was homeless at the time of the offending and carried the knife for protection; his use of it was not planned, and he admitted he overreacted.
"That's the problem with carrying knives - they invariably get used," magistrate Sarah Leighfield said.
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Ms Wilkin said rehabilitation was a crucial sentencing factor in this case.
She cited a psychological report that highlighted the impulsivity of Hicks' probable attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, submitting this reduced his moral culpability.
But the prosecutor acting for the Office of Public Prosecutions said imprisonment with a non-parole period was appropriate.
The prosecutor said the psychological report showed Hicks had no remorse, described the victim in derogatory terms and engaged in victim-blaming, and was cautious about specifying a reason for his offending.
Deterrence to both the community and Hicks himself, the prosecutor said, should take higher precedence in sentencing than rehabilitation.
After having Hicks assessed for a corrections order, Ms Leighfield said she needed more time to consider the sentence, adjourning it to next month.
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