'She went there to kill': 7-Eleven customer describes the terrifying moment a transgender axe attacker stormed the store and tried to 'cut his head in half'
- Evie Amati jailed last Friday after attacking two men at a 7-Eleven in Enmore
- In August, she was found guilty of attempting to murder the pair in 2017 attack
- One of her victims Benjamin Rimmer has now spoken out for the first time
- He said Amati was 'there to kill' while saying his attacker showed no remorse
- Sentenced to nine years jail with non-parole period of four years and six months
A customer who was brutally attacked with an axe at a 7-Eleven has spoken of the terrifying moment his head was 'almost cut in half.'
Benjamin Rimmer was standing in line at the store in Enmore, Sydney in 2017 when transgender woman Evie Amati, 26, entered the shop and launched a sickening assault.
CCTV footage showed Amati swinging the axe twice into Mr Rimmer's face, knocking him over and causing blood to rush from his head.
She then attacked another customer, Sharon Hacker.
Benjamin Rimmer (pictured) was standing in line behind Sharon Hacker at the 7-Eleven store in Enmore, CCTV footage showed, when transgender woman Evie Amati, 26, entered the shop and stood behind him
Amati was seen swinging the axe twice into the face of Mr Rimmer, knocking him to the ground
Mr Rimmer moved just before the axe dug into his face, a reflex action which saved his life.
'If I hadn't turned my head at the last minute she would have cut my head in half,' he told news.com.au,.
Amati was last week sentenced to nine years in jail and Mr Rimmer is now campaigning to get the 'lenient' sentenced increased on appeal.
'She went there to kill. It's only pure luck I'm alive - she's not remorseful. She's calculating,' he said.
'She'll do her time easily and get paroled in mid-2021 - it has played out perfectly.'
The Rimmer family has also started a petition to call for justice for Amati's victims.
'A sentence of only nine years with a non-parole period of just four-and-a-half years does not recognise the harm done to the victims or the horrific nature of this crime,' the petition written by his sister Anneke reads.
'Ben will have physical and emotional scars for the rest of his life.'
Mr Rimmer (pictured) said he was lucky he moved just before the attack and said Amati 'went there (the convenience store) to kill' and was not remorseful
Transgender woman Evie Amati (picture) has been jailed over the attempted murder of Mr Rimmer and Ms Hacker at the Sydney convenience store
Amati, 26, was jailed last Friday after ambushing Mr Rimmer and Ms Hacker at a 7-Eleven in Enmore in the early hours of January 7, 2017
She was found guilty of attempted murder in August last year after the NSW District Court rejected her claims she was suffering from mental illness.
She told the court just before the attack she heard voices that told her to 'kill and maim' and 'start the rise of hell on earth'.
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CCTV footage of the viscous attack showed Amati casually walk into the store carrying an axe - before standing next to Mr Rimmer, who was in line behind Ms Hacker.
In the video, Amati was seen swinging the axe twice into the face of Mr Rimmer, knocking him to the ground, before attacking Ms Hacker.
Blood was seen gushing from Mr Rimmer's head, as he tried to evade Amati before removing his shirt to absorb the blood.
CCTV footage of the viscous attack showed Amati casually walk into the store carrying an axe
Amati was captured on CCTV swinging the axe twice onto the face of Mr Rimmer, knocking him to the ground
The court also heard evidence from a third victim, Shane Redwood, who told the jury via audio visual link from the UK he was across the road when he saw a woman hit another woman with what he thought was a baseball bat.
Mr Redwood said it was only after approaching the store to offer assistance he realised Amati was wielding an axe.
Judge Mark Williams sentenced Amati to nine years in jail with a non-parole period of four years and six months at Sydney's Downing Centre District Court on Friday.
Blood was seen gushing from Mr Rimmer's head, as he tried to evade Amati before removing his shirt to absorb the blood.
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