Man attacks stranger with axe at Bunnings Warehouse

A man who was shopping at the store with his wife suffered a 3cm laceration to his head after he was attacked by a stranger with an axe.

Horror details of how a drug-induced man attacked a stranger with an axe inside a Bunnings store in Sydney’s west have been revealed.

Christopher Dent went to the Bunnings Warehouse in South Penrith on the morning of March 11, 2022, and browsed the store before picking up an axe, court documents detailed.

Shortly after, Dent approached a stranger – a man who was shopping with his wife – and swung the axe at the back of his head, knocking him unconscious.

A Bunnings employee told police he heard a “loud crack” as Dent walked away with a “blank stare” on his face.

Dent was sentenced to five years and four months imprisonment, with a non-parole period of four years in July 2024 by judge Craig Everson.

However, Dent appealed the sentence, arguing the terms were “excessive”, and the finding that he “acted without regard for public safety” was not established beyond a reasonable doubt.

In the Supreme Court on Wednesday, Justice Richard Weinstein dismissed the appeal.

“As has been repeatedly said in this court … there is no one correct sentence,” he said.

“The purposes of sentencing pull in competing directions.

A man who was shopping at Bunnings was attacked from behind with an axe. Picture: NewsWire / Andrew Henshaw

“In my opinion, His Honour (judge Craig Everson) balanced all sentencing considerations and arrived at a sentence that was neither unreasonable nor unjust and was within the range of available sentences.”

3cm laceration

Chilling details revealed in court documents show how Dent was arrested a few hours after the brutal attack and appeared confused and disoriented.

He admitted to police that he had been high on ice but believed that it must have been “laced” with something, as it had a different effect upon him and made him paranoid.

Meanwhile the victim told the court he had suffered significant and long-lasting injuries.

He suffered a 3cm laceration to the back of his head from the attack and was diagnosed with a concussion.

He went on to experience ongoing headaches, dizziness, constant ringing in his ears and hearing loss.

He was also diagnosed with PTSD following the attack as well as anxiety, memory loss and post-concussion syndrome.

Justice Weinstein labelled the attack as “significant and unprovoked” that left a member of the public with long-term harm.

Dent will be eligible for parole in July 2028.