The husband of a woman who narrowly escaped death at the hands of a convicted murderer has hit out at the prison service for releasing him.

Robbie McIntosh was found guilty of murdering dog walker Anne Nicoll when he was just 15.

The teenager was convicted in 2002 and had been expected to spend the next 15 years behind bars.

In August 2016, however, McIntosh was allowed to leave prison on home release and committed another attack under almost identical circumstances.

The killer, now 31, battered Linda McDonald with a dumbbell while she was walking her dog and dragged her into Templeton Woods, where he tried to kill her.

Her life was only saved when a pair of brothers walking nearby went to her aid.

Speaking for the first time since McIntosh was convicted of attacking Mrs McDonald last month, her husband Matthew criticised the decision to release him.

"Linda will never be the same again because somebody from the Scottish Prison Service decided McIntosh was OK to be let out," he said.

"They couldn't have been sure he wasn't going to offend again given his past crime - his past murder."

Mr McDonald has urged the prison service to reconsider its release policy for violent offenders like McIntosh.

"It was patently obvious for the people who had dealt with him before that he was going to do this again," he said.

"They were proved right and the Scottish Prison Service was proved wrong."

The organisation said it rigorously assesses prisoners being considered for release and is carrying out a review of the case.