The offender, former Bendigo man Kayd Thorp, approached the victim as he walked to his car after finishing a shift at a Manor Lakes supermarket late in the evening of August 31 last year.

Documents released by the County Court show that Thorp punched the victim in the face, threatened to stab him with a homemade knife in his possession, and tried to grab a gold necklace the man was wearing after he refused to give it to him.

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He said he would take the man's car if he did not hand over the necklace, and asked for money, stating the victim needed to give him something for "wasting his time".

The victim said he did not have any and showed Thorp his wallet, before turning out his pockets to show he only had receipts.

"Don't do that, it looks like I'm trying to rob you," Thorp told the victim.

He ordered the victim to go to an ATM and withdraw cash, but the victim said he did not know where an ATM was, hoping Thorp would leave him alone.

Thorp started walking away, but said, "This is my f***ing town, I'll f***ing kill you and your family, I know where you live. Don't try and run or I'll run you over and I'll run your car off the road".

A man came over and asked if the victim was OK, and apologised, saying Thorp had had a rough day.

He then got into a ute with Thorp, the one the offender had arrived in.

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This week, Crown prosecutor Katherine Farrell read out a victim impact statement on behalf of the attempted armed robbery victim.

In his statement, the victim said he developed post-traumatic stress disorder and his anxiety rose when he saw anyone who looked like Thorp.

Thorp had stolen the ute the victim saw him in, a Tata Xenon, the previous day from near the Whipstick Forest, where its owner had parked it while he took his dogs for a walk.

Three days after the attempted robbery, police found the stolen ute.

But that same evening, Thorp - in another stolen vehicle, a Toyota Kluger - crashed through the front fence of a home in Ironbark.

Thorp was arrested and taken to hospital.

He was released from prison this week, after being sentenced in the County Court to 15 months' imprisonment - time he had already served - and a year-long community corrections order.

Thorp had pleaded guilty after a sentence indication hearing to attempted armed robbery, making a threat to kill, theft, unlawful assault, two counts of driving while disqualified, careless driving, possessing a scheduled poison, dealing with property suspected of being the proceeds of crime, and drug driving.

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Judge Gerard Mullaly said he threat Thorp made to his intended robbery victim was "very frightening", and while the crime was not at the highest end, it remained serious.

Thorp was declared a violent offender due to his prior criminal history, which included a previous conviction for making a threat to kill, and attempted armed robbery,

He was also on a community corrections order at the time, which he had been placed on only a few months before the offending.

Judge Mullaly said Thorp's prospects of rehabilitation were "not forlorn", but he remained guarded as to whether Thorp could fully rehabilitate himself.

Defence lawyer Nicholas Rolfe told the court that Thorp planned to move away from Bendigo to Geelong upon his release and start a new life away from negative influences.

"He's got a girlfriend in Geelong who's not known to police, who he believes will be able to keep him out of trouble," Mr Rolfe said.

Mr Rolfe said his client planned to link in with services in Geelong to address mental health and drug issues, and find work.

Judge Mullaly said the community would be best served if Thorp could be supervised and undergo treatmeant to prevent reoffending.

Under his community corrections order, Thorp must undertake assessment and treatment for drug addiction and his mental health, and offender behaviour programs.

He will also be subject to supervision and must return to court next year for judicial monitoring.

"I don't want to hear anything other than you've turned a corner, do you understand?" Judge Mullaly said.

Thorp was disqualifed from driving for 15 months but that came into effect the day he was taken into custody, because Judge Mullaly said there was value in him getting his licence and securing work.

However, he was warned that if he drove before attaining his licence again, he would return to prison.

Had Thorp not pleaded guilty and been found so, he would have faced up to three years and eight months in prison, with a non-parole period of two years and two months.

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