A delusional man who threatened a couple with an axe in Melbourne's CBD believed pop superstar Miley Cyrus had engaged him in psychic communication.
Andrew Johannesen on Monday was sentenced to 21 months' jail over the early morning one-day crime spree on April 19 when he also approached strangers and punched them in the face.
The 43-year-old, a homeless man who was delusional at the time because he had stopped taking his schizophrenia medication, thought Cyrus had engaged him in psychic communication for five or six years.
He also believed the singer had threatened him with a meat cleaver, the Melbourne Magistrates' Court heard.
Johannesen approached a man sitting at a Fitzroy cafe and punched him to the back of the head.
Two women - one on her way to work and the other en route to the gym - were also randomly assaulted by Johannesen shortly afterward.
One suffered a broken nose and the other mild concussion and bruising, and both no longer feel safe walking the streets, magistrate Peter Reardon said.
Johannesen went to a hardware store and bought an axe, which he raised above his head while threatening a couple on Spring Street about 9.30am.
"Do you want an axe through your f***ing head? I'll split your skull," he said, as the couple ran away.
Johannesen was arrested and admitted he had been punching and threatening people in the street.
He was later assessed by a psychiatrist, who reported Johannesen was "clearly delusional" at the time and had suffered a psychotic relapse because he had stopped taking his medication.
The court heard Johannesen was remorseful for his "highly concerning" behaviour.
Mr Reardon said Johannesen was well aware of his mental illness but had taken himself off his medication.
"These people going about their daily lives ... were confronted by an awful experience," he said.
"They didn't know what state you were in."
Johannesen was sentenced to 21 months in jail, with a non-parole period of 12 months.
He has already served almost 200 days.
