A man who launched an attack of "unbridled savagery" on a defenceless great-grandmother in her own home has been jailed for a total of 15 years.
Mary Coulter, 76, suffered broken arms, serious head injuries and deep cuts to her face when her house in Wishaw, North Lanarkshire, was broken into in the early hours of Thursday March 22.
One of the blows landed on her by Derek Clark all but sliced her face off, a court heard. He and two other men had forced their way into the elderly woman's home at about 4am as they hunted for her son Ronnie.
Clark, 32, previously admitted attempting to murder Mrs Coulter at her home in the Overtown area.
A judge at the High Court in Glasgow on Friday jailed him for 10 years for trying to kill the pensioner and imposed a further five years behind bars for a separate assault on another man, Grant Murdoch, later that same day.
Co-accused Richard Parvin, 29, was sentenced to 10 years' imprisonment for conspiracy to assault in relation to the early-morning incident and for his role in the subsequent assault. Darryl Finnie, 27, was sentenced to four years behind bars for conspiracy to assault, court officials confirmed.
Addressing Clark specifically, Lord Stewart told him: "When in the house you attempted to murder the mother of the intended victim with the weapon you were carrying and the severe injuries you inflicted have lasting consequences."
He went on: "The attack on 76-year-old Mrs Coulter represents an act of unbridled savagery. One of your blows all but sliced her face off. Grant Murdoch was attacked by you with apparently calculated savagery intended to maim rather than kill."
Clark's five-year jail term will run consecutively to his 10-year term. He will also be supervised for a further five years, under an extended sentence, following his release from jail. Had he not admitted his guilt, he would have been jailed for 18 years, the judge said.
Detective Superintendent Clark Cuzen, of Strathclyde Police, said: "These men subjected 76-year-old Mary Coulter to a brutal and sustained attack within her own home which left her with appalling injuries. The sentences today in no way take away the horror of that attack, but I hope that the fact that these three men are being sent to prison will offer Mrs Coulter and her family some consolation."
