A man whose ferocious attack on his girlfriend was recorded on camera at a petrol station in Melbourne's west may walk free in a year-and-a-half after being sentenced today.

Christopher Josevski, 25, chased the 22-year-old woman into the station at Derrimut in February last year before punching, kicking and dragging her by the hair back out to his car.

The night-time attack was recorded on security camera and a mobile phone, with the woman seen on all fours, struggling to escape his grasp as she was pulled along.

The court heard the violence began earlier with Josevski punching and kneeing the woman in the head and dragging her along a concrete path.

The woman was kidnapped and taken back to his property at Gordon, near Ballarat, where she was later found by police asleep in a caravan with bruising and swollen eyes.

Josevski told his girlfriend he would kill her, "never let her go home" and "come after her family", the court heard.

He also threatened to make her write letters proclaiming his innocence.

'Jealousy, suspicion and mistaken sense of power'

County Court Judge Michael Tinney described the attack as "monstrous and dreadful", adding the sentence needed to send a strong message to other men that domestic violence was intolerable.

He said Jovevski acted out of jealousy, suspicion and a mistaken sense of power over his girlfriend of six months.

"Get it in to your head, you don't possess, you don't control others," he said.

"It's conduct that simply won't be tolerated by the courts in this day and age — it never has been."

Judge Tinney said Josevski initially lied to police that someone else had attacked his girlfriend and she backed up his story.

"She'd been too scared to speak the truth," he said.

"She did that as she was scared of you."

'You monstered her … she thought you would kill her'

He said the victim had been terrified and humiliated in public, with onlookers left stunned by the extreme violence.

"In my judgement, [the attack] will be remembered by her with dismay for many years," he said.

"You monstered her … she thought you would kill her."

Josevski pleaded guilty to a range of charges over the attack and other related offending including intentionally causing injury, criminal damage, sustained common assault, kidnapping and threats to kill.

He was jailed for four years but can apply for release on parole in two-and-a-half years.

With time already served, he could be out of jail in about 18 months.

Judge Tinney said in setting the sentence he took into account Josevski's "level of remorse" and "relatively good" prospects for rehabilitation.

Josevski showed little emotion after the sentence and waved at supporters as he was shown from the dock.