A man who teamed up with his son to commit a violent, random attack in Melbourne's CBD has been jailed for 12 years.
The victim, Jingu Kim, suffered life-threatening injuries after he was set upon by Jared Pihlgren, 53, and his son Jay Stephens, 23.
The County Court heard Mr Kim was walking home after a night of karaoke with friends when the pair approached him on Lonsdale Street early on December 17, 2021.
In an unprovoked attack, Stephens began throwing punches at the 35-year-old victim and the stoush escalated when Mr Kim fought back.
It was at that point Pihlgren pulled a knife out from a bag and stabbed Mr Kim repeatedly in the back, before Stephens stomped on the defenceless victim's head.
After Pihlgren and Stephens walked off, leaving Mr Kim bleeding on the footpath, bystanders rushed to the victim's aid and called triple-0.
Mr Kim suffered a punctured lung, serious head injuries and a defence wound to his hand. The court heard he was in a coma for three days, and continues to suffer from post-traumatic stress and panic attacks.
The incident was captured on two security cameras.
The attack came just months after Stephens was released from prison over the unprovoked bashing of Victoria Police Assistant Commissioner Chris O'Neil.
In the wake of that attack, Pihlgren described Mr O'Neil as a "maggot dog" on social media and was charged by police over the post.
On Thursday, during a sentencing hearing for Pihlgren, Judge Helen Syme said the CBD attack on Mr Kim was "completely unprovoked".
"You joined in and made the attack even more one-sided, two against one," she said.
Pihlgren, who was dressed in a red jumpsuit, watched the proceedings from Barwon Prison via a video link.
The judge rejected suggestions Pihlgren was trying to defend his son, and said she did not believe the 53-year-old was remorseful for his actions.
The court heard Pihlgren had a criminal history across four states, and that the father-of-five wanted to adopt another child from overseas with his partner.
"You do not present as the ideal parent," Judge Syme told him.
She sentenced him to 12 years' jail, with a non-parole period of eight years for the charge of intentionally causing serious injury.
With time already served, Pihlgren could be eligible for parole in December 2029.
Stephens will be sentenced next month.
