Anthony Illarietti: Lockwood South mum held at knifepoint in attack

A Central Victorian hatchet-wielding son yelled at a drug-frenzied robber holding his mum at knifepoint: “Let go of my mum or I’ll throw this at ya head”.

A limping robber lunged at a man and held his mother at knifepoint while demanding cash in a drug-frenzied rampage south of Bendigo.

Anthony Illarietti, 37, was sentenced to five years in prison by the Melbourne County Court on Friday after pleading guilty to a savage robbery on July 31, 2020.

Joshua Hutchinson was in the shed at the back of his Lockwood South home at 4.20pm that Friday, while his mother Kathleen Hutchinson was in the lounge room watching television.

Illarietti and another man went to the shed hoping to buy drugs off Mr Hutchinson.

Mr Hutchinson said he no longer sold drugs, saying “I got out of that sh*t ages ago”.

Illarietti was limping around the shed, complaining of a sore foot which he said had an infected cut after stepping on a light bulb.

After initially joking with his victim Illarietti pulled out a pocketknife and brandished the 5-inch blade.

“Where’s me money, you’ve got me money,” he said.

“Your mate said to come out here and you’ll have the money … give me everything you’ve got.”

As the trio walked to the house Mr Hutchinson tried to run away, throwing rocks at the two men as he ran.

“Stop being a f**k head, let’s go,” Illarietti said as they caught up to him.

Illarietti was still brandishing the knife when they entered the house.

While Mr Hutchinson went to his bedroom to look for his wallet he could hear Illarietti talking with his mother saying her son owed him $4500.

Mr Hutchinson was able to grab $1200 from his car, and while the two men were distracted he pulled a hatchet out of the boot.

Mr Hutchinson held the weapon and started screaming at the men to leave.

Illarietti grabbed Mr Hutchinson’s mother as a shield while still armed with the knife.

“Let go of my mum or I’ll throw this at ya’ head,” Mr Hutchinson said.

Illarietti launched with the knife to stab Mr Hutchinson, piercing his left wrist before stabbing his left shoulder.

The two men then fled in their car.

Mr Hutchinson was taken to Bendigo Hospital, with both wounds requiring four sutures.

On Friday Illarietti, who had already served 407 days in pre-sentence detention, pleaded guilty to the armed robbery, recklessly causing injury, unlawful assault and violating his bail.

Judge Marcus Dempsey sentenced the 37-year-old to five years and two months in prison, with a non-parole period of three years and six months.