Pokémon Go player who was hunting for Pikachu is knifed in the neck after he refused to give a stranger $5 and a cigarette
- Jonathon Peterson, 25, stabbed a Pokémon Go player on December 29, 2018
- He asked the Bendigo man for $5 and a cigarette before knifing him in the neck
- Peterson pleaded guilty at Melbourne's County Court on Wednesday February 5
- He was jailed for four years and six months and must serve 32 months minimum
A Pokémon Go player hunting for Pikachu was repeatedly stabbed after he failed to give a stranger $5 and a cigarette, a court has heard.
Jonathan Peterson, 25, pleaded guilty to intentionally causing injury and attempted armed robbery at Melbourne's County Court on February 5.
The Bendigo man was wandering around town playing the augmented reality mobile game when Peterson threatened him at knife-point near a service station around 11pm on December 29, 2018.
Jonathan Peterson (pictured), 25, pleaded guilty to to intentionally causing injury and attempted armed robbery at Melbourne's County Court last week
The court heard Peterson, who had just been at a pub collecting cigarette butts, said 'give us what you got' before punching the victim and thrusting the weapon into his neck twice and shoulder once.
He was sentenced to four years and six months in prison with a minimum of 32 months, the Herald Sun reports.
The victim lost a lot of blood and was rushed to Bendigo hospital where he remained for days.
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Shortly after the offence, Peterson, who has a history of violent offences, bragged to a neighbour that he had 'just stabbed some c*** for a cigarette'.
The Long Gully resident was arrested the following day after police discovered 'fresh blood' outside his home and on his shoes.
Peterson, who has a history of violent offences, told a neighbour shortly after the attack that he had 'just stabbed some c*** for a cigarette'
Judge Sarah Dawes condemned Peterson's behaviour as threatening, intimidating and violent.
She said the random attack on the victim had left him emotionally distraught and distressed.
The victim said it has been hard to find pleasure in life since the incident.
'Everything I enjoyed has been taken away and it is really difficult to pick up the pieces and try and live a normal life again,' he said.
At the time of sentencing, Peterson had already served 402 days behind bars.
Pokémon Go is a smart phone app that uses location tracking and mapping technology to create an ‘augmented reality' where players catch and train Pokémon characters in real locations.
Pokémon Go (pictured) is an augmented reality app that allows players to catch and train Pokémon characters in real locations
