A man responsible for an "atrocious attack" on an off-duty paramedic during a crime spree on the Mornington Peninsula last year has been sentenced to five years and nine months in jail.

Key points: Adam Bardic was on bail when he attacked the paramedic in July last year

Adam Bardic was on bail when he attacked the paramedic in July last year Julie Mullenger said she had since feared for her and her daughters' safety

Julie Mullenger said she had since feared for her and her daughters' safety The judge said Bardic's actions reflected a failure of the community corrections system

Adam Bardic, 48, attacked Julie Mullenger with a box cutter after she had stopped with her children at a takeaway food outlet in Rosebud, south-east of Melbourne, about 6:15pm on July 13 last year.

He must serve at least 3 years and 9 months in prison.

In January, Bardic pleaded guilty to five charges including intentionally causing injury, criminal damage and theft of a motor vehicle.

Judge Duncan Allen said it was an "atrocious attack on an innocent mother buying fish and chips for herself and her daughters".

"This vile, violent, horrific offending in a public place is a tragedy in many ways," Judge Allen said.

Ms Mullenger needed 15 stitches after the attack.

Judge Allen also noted the impact on her children.

"It has damaged them profoundly … that damage is likely to be lifelong."

Defence lawyer John Blackley told the court Bardic had consumed cannabis before he attacked Ms Mullenger and did not remember anything until he woke up on a beach semi-naked in the early hours of the next day.

Bardic pleaded guilty to five charges in January. ( Jeff Hayes )

He then handed himself into police.

The court heard on the same night as the attack, Bardic broke a window at a store in Rosebud, threatened the owners with a tomahawk and demanded food.

He also waved a hammer and the tomahawk at a couple who had tried to help him after he stole a car.

Victim fears for daughters' safety in public

Ms Mullenger, a single mother, said she suffers from PTSD and has nightmares.

"He has ruined the life that I knew, taken the innocence from my daughters and ruined the life we will have in the immediate future while I am recovering," she wrote in a victim impact statement.

"I now have a genuine fear for my daughters' and my safety when in public, I hold their hands tighter when passing people in the street."

Outside court and flanked by her colleagues, she said paramedics, police and firefighters were "proud to wear our uniforms".

"We have the right like everybody else to have a safe workplace … we're at risk quite a lot … we shouldn't be disrespected," she said.

Julie Mullenger said the attack had made her fearful in public places. ( ABC News )

Judge Allen hit out at Corrections Victoria for what he said were a number of failures in the lead-up to the attack.

Bardic was on bail and serving a community corrections order during his crime spree in the Mornington Peninsula.

The court heard Bardic had sought help from Corrections Victoria a month before the attack because he had not been able to remember what police alleged he had done.

Corrections Victoria referred Bardic to a local general practitioner to get a mental health plan about a week before the attack.

Judge Allen asked why Bardic had been sent to a GP when he had a "complex mental history" including an intellectual disability where his IQ was said to be between 62 and 68.

"Eight days earlier the GP told him [Bardic] there was nothing wrong with him," Judge Allen said.

He noted Bardic's serious mental illness over time and said he was far from a "right state of mind".

"It is clear to me that your conduct is far from rational — it was bizarre," he told Bardic.

"Your conduct is lacking in any motivation, any reason."

He accepted that Bardic was regretful and remorseful.

Community corrections system underfunded, judge says

Judge Allen urged prison authorities to ensure Bardic was appropriately assessed, monitored and treated while in prison.

"The Government is responsible for adequately resourcing corrections," Judge Allen said in criticising the long waiting lists for prisoners trying to access help.

He said the failures of the system were putting the community at risk, not protecting them.

"It raises a large question about the community's responsibility for these things," Judge Allen said.

He said the rise in the prison population happened because media outlets pressured governments about law and order issues.

"The number of prisoners has exploded exponentially. We build more and more jails to hold them," he said.

"The longer we lock people up, the greater the risk of re-offending."

Ms Mullenger said both she and Bardic had been let down by the system.

"I am very resentful to what has occurred to me," she said outside the court.

"I think the system has let him down, unfortunately. The system's let me down, and my community down, and I think we're all victims in this.

"I don't think there's a winner in any of it."