A robber who tried to kill a jeweller as he was walking to work has been sentenced to ten years in jail at the High Court in Livingston.
Alastair Thomson attacked Gareth Steven with a hammer and a knife as he walked to his shop in Prestwick, Ayrshire in November 2007.
Mr Steven, 30, was left scarred for life in the attack which left him in a pool of blood in the street. He suffered near-fatal injuries to the head, diaphragm, stomach, spleen and liver. He had to undergo an emergency operation which left him with a scar running from his shoulder to his belly button.
Thomson made off with £50,000 worth of jewellery in a brief-case that he snatched from his victim.
Thomson was found guilty by a jury last month of robbing and attempting to murder the jeweller. DNA evidence helped with the conviction, after Thomson's Ayr United football scarf was found near the scene.
Thomson's lawyer told the court that his client had no previous conviction and was not otherwise deemed a "high risk" to the public.
The judge Lord Bracadale said that the extended custodial sentence was given to Thomson because he was prepared to use "extreme violence" against his victim. He added that the incident was a particularly "savage" attack.
He said: "You left him in a condition that but for his rescue he could have died.
"The Consultant Surgeon did not expect him to survive."
The judge sentenced him to ten years in prison. He will also be placed on licence for two years when released.
