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Jay Stephens walks out of court while being sentenced for vicious assault on stranger

A young thug who viciously attacked a stranger in the CBD has walked out of court while being sentenced to years behind bars, telling his guards he “did not want to hear” any of it.

Jared Pihlgren and Jay Stephens launch a vicious assault

A young thug who paired up with his deadbeat dad to viciously attack an innocent stranger has walked out of court while being sentenced because he “did not want to hear” the judge describe his violent offending.

Shocking CCTV footage captured the moment Jay Stephens, 23, punched Jingu Kim at least 14 times and stomped on his head during a three-minute onslaught on a city street in the early hours of December 17, 2021.

The Herald Sun exclusively obtained the harrowing footage of the “unprovoked” attack in April after Stephens pleaded guilty to intentionally causing injury and affray.

Stephens was sentenced in the County Court last month to five years and nine months’ jail, with a non-parole period of three years and three months.

But halfway through his sentencing, the brute – who appeared via video link from Barwon Prison – walked out of the room connecting him to the court.

Jay Stephens pleaded guilty to intentionally causing injury and affray.
Jay Stephens pleaded guilty to intentionally causing injury and affray.

“Corrections advise that Jay Stephens is ‘still there but is sitting outside of the court’,” Judge Helen Syme’s associate said.

“He does not wish to return to the room as he does not want to hear what is being said.”

Judge Syme was describing to the court how Mr Kim was walking home alone on Lonsdale St after karaoke with friends when he was followed by Stephens and his father, Jared Pihlgren, 53, about 12.30am.

After stalking his prey, Stephens engaged in a brief conversation with Mr Kim before the thug punched him to the head “without warning”.

They ended up on the concrete footpath where Pihlgren pulled a knife from his bum bag and stabbed their victim in the back.

The knife penetrated Mr Kim’s lung, before Pihlgren slashed him to the back of the head.

As Mr Kim lay dying, Stephens inflicted one final blow by stomping on his head.

The pair then fled, leaving the 35-year-old in a pool of blood with life-threatening injuries.

Pihlgren pulls a knife from his bum bag and stabs Mr Kim in the back.
Pihlgren pulls a knife from his bum bag and stabs Mr Kim in the back.
Stephens inflicts one final blow by stomping on Mr Kim’s head.
Stephens inflicts one final blow by stomping on Mr Kim’s head.

When Judge Syme noticed Stephens was no longer listening to the court, the proceeding was temporarily adjourned to allow him to talk to his defence lawyer Anthony Pyne.

It is understood he returned to listen to the remainder of his sentencing.

In a devastating victim impact statement, Mr Kim said his “life fell into hell” when he chanced upon the notorious father and son crime duo.

One moment he was dining out and singing karaoke with his mates in a Melbourne bar, the next he was lying on the concrete footpath fighting for his life.

He has no recollection of the savagery, but scars on his body remind him of it every day.

“My heart stopped for three minutes,” he said.

“I was in a coma for three days.”

He said his family made a mercy dash from Korea, believing he would die.

He now suffers PTSD, multiple mental health issues and insomnia.

“Mr Kim was unable to escape you,” Judge Syme told Stephens.

“His only available response was to protect himself, or at least attempt to, by trying to fight back.

“You continued to fight him even after your father had begun to stab him.”

Mr Kim was resuscitated after his heart stopped for three minutes.
Mr Kim was resuscitated after his heart stopped for three minutes.

In April, Mr Pyne told the court his client grew up around violence and knows no better since he was neglected by “dysfunctional” parents who were addicted to drugs.

He added his client did not fall to be sentenced for the life-threatening injuries inflicted by his father on the victim.

Mr Pyne argued Stephens should be released on a community correction order after a term of imprisonment, telling Judge Syme any hardened violence ingrained in him would deepen if he remained behind bars.

But she ultimately disagreed, ruling a combined sentence would not sufficiently reflect the seriousness of his offending.

A report also found Stephens was unsuitable for a community correction order.

Pihlgren was sentenced to 12 years’ jail.
Pihlgren was sentenced to 12 years’ jail.

In May 2020, Stephens was jailed for 20 months over a brutal attack on Victoria Police Assistant Commissioner Chris O’Neill, who was left bloodied and with broken ribs.

And in March this year, he made headlines when he was rushed to hospital after a fight with another inmate at Barwon Prison as his dad watched on.

In his victim impact statement, Mr Kim recalled coming to Australia from Korea for a better life and becoming “a proud Australian citizen”.

But he said he no longer felt safe going outside in Melbourne and needed to know the day his attackers were released from prison.

“That will be the day that I leave the country,” he said.

Pihlgren pleaded guilty to intentionally causing serious injury and was sentenced in April to 12 years’ jail, with a non-parole period of eight years.

With time already served, Stephens will be eligible for parole in early 2025.

Original URL: https://www.heraldsun.com.au/truecrimeaustralia/police-courts-victoria/jay-stephens-walks-out-of-court-while-being-sentenced-for-vicious-assault-on-innocent-stranger/news-story/99ae74da16105d0228cb6a3c7f99115d