Country taxi driver Reg Kelly has shared his cab with people from all walks of life, so he never thought the person he trusted most would leave him on the edge of death.

Key points: Reg Kelly's girlfriend, Melissa Evelyn Beatrice Lowe, was sentenced to 11 years' jail for attempted murder

Reg Kelly's girlfriend, Melissa Evelyn Beatrice Lowe, was sentenced to 11 years' jail for attempted murder Her defence lawyer said the attack stemmed from childhood trauma

Her defence lawyer said the attack stemmed from childhood trauma Mr Kelly has returned to Broome where he hopes to resume a normal life

But when he woke one night last July with a large machete blade buried in his chest, and saw the woman he loved gripping the handle, he realised his mistake.

It was the start of a brutal and bloody surprise attack that left the 68-year-old from Broome in Western Australia's far north in a coma with devastating injuries.

He had been living with Melissa Evelyn Beatrice Lowe for almost two years in what he thought was a happy relationship.

Speaking to the ABC ahead of Lowe's sentencing hearing, he said the attack had fundamentally changed his life.

"You don't think that one human being can do that to another human being," he said.

"I still don't know why [she did it], I never had an argument with her in the year and 10 months we were living in the same house."

Police tape outside Mr Kelly's former home in Cable Beach, which police described as a horrific crime scene. ( ABC Kimberley: Sam Tomlin )

Attempted murder

Lowe, 37, pleaded guilty to attempted murder in March and on Tuesday was jailed for 11 years.

Supreme Court Justice Lindy Jenkins said Lowe had committed a grave breach of Mr Kelly's trust and that "nothing had occurred to justify" her actions.

The Court heard Lowe continued to hit Mr Kelly with the machete when he was on the floor while her teenage daughter and her daughter's boyfriend stood by.

They asked Mr Kelly for his car keys and quietly left the scene when he asked for their help.

Defence lawyer Antoinette Fedele said Lowe's daughter had herself suffered injuries after running into her mother as she held the machete.

She said her client's offending was connected to trauma stemming from abuse and neglect she suffered as a child.

House of horrors

Investigating officers were horrified by the crime scene that stretched from the bedroom to the kitchen, where Mr Kelly crawled to call the police before passing out.

As he was airlifted to the trauma ward at Royal Perth Hospital, many believed he would not survive.

"I reckon I went down the old tunnel," he said.

"I was going down a corrugated iron tube, there was this bright light and a high-pitched screaming noise with orange, red and blue light going around and it was just pulling me towards it."

"I was trying to hold back, the sound got louder and louder and all of a sudden there was an explosion and my whole body went limp.

"I thought, 'Oh well, you're dead now. You don't have to worry about anything' … the next thing I knew, I was in the trauma ward."

Eight blood transfusions were required to keep him alive.

The attack has left Mr Kelly with numerous long-term injuries. ( ABC Kimberley: Matt Bamford )

Town shocked

The attack sent a shock wave through the small town, where many residents were among the 18-year veteran cabbie's regular clients.

While his body began to heal, his mind was still struggling with the trauma and nightmares plagued him for months.

"It took me a good two weeks to get my faith back in humanity, when the nurses came to give me medication I was putting my hands up blocking [them]," he said.

"I dreamt someone had an axe over my throat and they were strangling me but it was the theatre gown, it was very high up and caught in the sheet, I grabbed it in my dream and I pulled all the tendons out [of my hand]."

Visits from friends and customers from Broome helped him get through.

"People brought me clothes into the hospital, everybody got together and got my furniture out of the house and offered to clean up," he said.

Road to recovery

After months of rehabilitation and many operations, Mr Kelly is still recovering.

There's a skin-covered hole the size of a fist in his lower leg where chunks of muscle and bone were hacked away as he tried to escape on his hands and knees.

Three fingers in his right hand, which he used to shield his head as the blows rained down, have no feeling — the severed ligaments are still to heal.

Despite needing 168 stitches, Mr Kelly's face has recovered the most thanks to the work of a plastic surgeon from the United States.

Mr Kelly has returned to Broome and is hoping his life will return to normal. ( ABC Kimberley: Andrew Seabourne )

Time to reflect

Mr Kelly said he had been reflecting on the events of the past year prior to Tuesday's hearing.

It was the first time he had shared the same room as Lowe since the attack.

"I'm a bit peeved off that I've had nine months taken out of my life and a lot of strength taken out of my body," he said.

"At the same time, I'm not the sort of person who wants people to have lengthy sentences.

"I can't hold a grudge against anyone; it's just very sad.

"I just need to be there for closure."

This month he arrived back in Broome desperate to return to his cab and reclaim a normal life.

"I'm really excited about being able see my old friends and customers. It just makes me feel alive again. I'm so happy to be back home," he said.

Lowe must serve nine years of her sentence before becoming eligible for parole.