A man has been jailed for 12 years after he gouged his ex-lover's eyeball out in a horror murder bid.
Francis Murphy was convicted last month of attempting to murder Natlie Farrell, 27, after a three-day trial at the High Court in Edinburgh.
The vicious attack took place at an eighth-floor flat in Dundee's Dalfield Court on May 26 this year. Murphy - the father of Natalie's son - travelled to the flat where Ms Farrell lived with her new partner.
Reliving the terrifying attack, Ms Farrell told the court how after attacking her partner, Paul Stanton, Murphy turned on her - running at her and shouting: "I am taking your eye out you ******* cow."
She said: "He had the hook or the coat hanger and he was trying to get that into my eye.
"Because of the adrenalin and the fear I didn't feel pain at the time. and as soon as he done that he strangled me and I went unconscious. I only felt pain when I woke up in hospital."
Advocate depute Iain McSporran, prosecuting, asked how she felt about what had happened.
Ms Farrell told him: "I cannot really put it into words. It is just, I ken I dinnae look right any more. I have lost half my sight. That is me disabled for life now."
The life-or-death struggle on the balcony was witnessed by Noel Pittham, 53, who kept up a running commentary as police headed to the scene, telling them what he could see from his vantage point in the neighbouring tower block.
Murphy had denied attempted murder - but admitted assaulting Ms Farrell on May 6 this year. However, a jury by majority, found Murphy guilty of attempted murder.
Solicitor advocate Iain Paterson, defending, said: "His emotions became entangled as a consequence of drink, drugs and, I suppose, depravity too.
"All these things together led him to undertake an action it is difficult for any individual to come to terms with and he's going to have to sit in a prison cell for a number of years and take stock of what he's done."
Passing sentence, temporary Judge John Morris QC said: "You have been found guilty of crimes which are almost medieval in their barbarity which would make any right-thinking person recoil in horror. Only a substancial prison sentence would be appropriate."
Last updated: 20 November 2009, 11:26
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