Lochlan Nixon-May, 20, returned to court on Monday following his attack at two properties on December 18, 2020.

Scott Coates, who was last week jailed for 11 months, ran a small group of wannabe gangsters called the Slump Gang, of which Nixon-May was part.

Coates was the main offender in the incident, which saw the victim tied up, bashed over a lengthy period, stomped on and engraved with a knife.

Nixon-May's lawyer Matt Cookson yesterday told the Koori County Court his client was a follower of the older offender, who was violent and unpredictable.

The pair were hanging out together daily and using a large amount of drugs before the incident.

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He said their group was "not so much a gang as a bunch of people who would hang out together and act like they were gangsters".

Nixon-May spent 77 days on remand over the incident before being bailed, and is now in a residential program for Indigenous people.

The court heard he has numerous psychological issues and Mr Cookson said returning him to jail would be extremely damaging to his rehabilitation.

Judge David Sexton conceded Nixon-May was subservient to the older man but also noted "it's very serious offending".

It was a difficult sentencing exercise, he said, given Nixon-May was "fragile" and undertaking extensive rehabilitation.

He will return to the court on June 2.

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