The victim of an armed carjacking in Wangaratta thought she was going to die after having a knife pushed into her stomach, a court has heard.
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Joel Butler, 20, has been jailed for at least three years for the incident, which the County Koori Court heard left the victim "terrified".
"She's now very safety conscious and hypervigilant in public places," Judge Irene Lawson said while handing down her sentence on Thursday.
Butler stole a car in Wodonga on August 6 last year and drove to Wangaratta, using a credit card in the vehicle to get McDonald's.
He stole phone accessories in Bendigo and returned to Wodonga early the next day.
Butler stole a black-handled knife from the Wangaratta Woolworths about 2pm.
He said he would stab her if she didn't hand them over.
Butler got into the car with the teenager and they travelled to Melbourne.
The 20-year-old stole fuel at Moorabbin before driving back to the North East, with the pair arrested while refuelling at the Shell service station in Rutherglen.
Police recovered the knife used in the carjacking.
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Butler had been on an ice bender before the incident, which the judge described as a broad daylight attack on a defenceless woman who thought she would be killed.
While he had used drugs, stopped his medication, and had broken up with a long-term girlfriend, Judge Lawson said it explained his actions but "it in no way excuses your behaviour".
"You have despite your relatively young age, Mr Butler, a concerning and significant history of prior convictions," Judge Lawson said.
"It is of great concern that the matter for which you received a combination sentence was for violence, threatening a person with a pair of scissors.
"You've had many opportunities and been subject to different dispositions, but you've failed to take advantage of the support you've been offered."
She imposed a maximum four-year jail term.
Butler had been assessed to see if he could serve the sentence in a youth justice centre, rather than an adult prison, but was found to be unsuitable.
The 20-year-old has already spent close to 400 days on remand while awaiting sentence.
