Rovie Ferguson moved to Australia with high expectations and spent two years enjoying South Australia's wine regions and fishing on the Eyre Peninsula before a random attack changed her life forever, a court has heard.
While working at Adelaide's Parabanks Shopping Centre in July 2018, her throat was slashed by a stranger as she was cleaning a toilet cubicle.
Her hands were also slashed, and she was stabbed in the back. The then-30-year-old needed 150 stitches and still requires rehabilitation for her hands.
Jai Penning, 27, has been found not guilty of attempted murder due to mental incompetence.
Mr Penning was suffering from psychosis due to his treatment-resistant schizophrenia, exacerbated by drug use, at the time of the attack.
Supreme Court Justice Sam Doyle said Mr Penning was being driven by voices that he believed were from the devil and members of heavy metal band Metallica.
On Thursday, Mr Penning was ordered to spend 12 years at secure mental health facility James Nash House. But he will not be released until he no longer poses a risk to the community.
"Horror and terror were what I felt that night," Ms Ferguson wrote in her victim impact statement, which was read to the court by prosecutor Lucy Boord.
"I even told you to 'stop' but you continued to slash me with that knife until I am out of strength."
Ms Ferguson wrote that her body was shaking and that she was confused about what to do, so she called out to God.
"I'm thankful that God gave me enough courage and strength to get up and go out that door. Then help [find] me when I collapsed out the front in the hallway," she said.
In her statement, Ms Ferguson said he moved to Adelaide from the Philippines in 2016 and was very excited about the new adventure.
"Moving to a new country seemed exciting — and a new journey in my life. My expectations of this country were high," she said.
"We've had a carefree life, exploring Adelaide, and go to the wineries and have lunch, spending time outdoors with friends and family. We travel to the Eyre Peninsula for holidays — I enjoyed fishing and eating local seafood.
"We enjoyed the sights and sounds, seeing local wildlife like emus, koalas and kangaroos. Living in Adelaide could not have been any better."
She wrote that she was now extremely cautious when she goes out in public, which could be exhausting, but she wants to live each day to the fullest.
Family's concern of mental health system
Her husband Jarrad Ferguson told Justice Doyle that his wife showed incredible strength to ensure she did not die on that bathroom floor.
"She knew it was up to herself to survive — she pushed through excruciating pain [to seek help]," he told the court.
"It was my wife's blood that was spilled because this individual wanted to kill someone."
Emma Shaw, for Mr Penning, told the court that her client was remorseful for his actions and had made significant improvements to his mental health since being arrested.
"Both of Mr Penning's parents, and also Mr Ferguson and Mrs Ferguson, expressed concerns about the mental health system," she said.
"Mrs Penning said her son had interactions with the mental health system prior to this offence but then nothing happened. There was two-and-a-half years where the system provided no support.
"In fact, his file was closed with no follow up.
"His illness developed unchecked."
