A violent robber struck a shop worker on the head with a hammer ten times.

James McMurdy carried out the violent attack on 63-year-old Senga Houston after he had grabbed £500 from the till.

At the High Court in Glasgow, judge Lord Mulholland told 40-year-old McMurdy: "What you have done was nothing short of barbaric - an act of pure evil."

The court heard that the attack happened when he raided the Premier Convenience store in Catrine, East Ayrshire, desperate for cash as he faced eviction from his flat.

There was CCTV footage of the attack on November 5, 2017 which left Ms Houston with "life changing" injuries.

McMurdy was clutching a hammer and a knife with his face covered with a piece of bed sheet.

The court heard that after grabbing the cash McMurdy hit Senga over the head.

As she cowered with her hands over her head to protect herself, McMurdy pulled her hands away and struck her over the head another nine times.

He fled, and a shopper found Ms Houston lying in a pool of blood.

She suffered multiple fractures to her skull and injury to her brain, and had to undergo multiple operations.

She now suffers from depression, post traumatic stress disorder and has little or no peripheral vision, meaning that she is no longer able to drive or work.

The court heard she may need medical care for the rest of her life.

McMurdy, who was represented by defence counsel John McElroy, pleaded guilty to robbery and attempted murder and was jailed for 12 years.

Lord Mulholland told McMurdy that if it was not for his guilty plea, he would have jailed him for 18 years.

He also ordered McMurdy to be monitored on licence for five years after his release from prison and told him: "Her life has been changed forever.

"You have shown no remorse."

Detective superintendent Allan Burton, from Police Scotland's Major Investigations Team, said it was a "trully appalling crime".

"This was a truly appalling crime and Senga Houston is extremely lucky to be alive, however her life now is very different from the one she knew before," he said.

"There was absolutely no reason for James McMurdy to inflict such violence on a defenceless woman.

"She had already handed over a large sum of money, but he still felt the need to subject her to a brutal, sickening and life changing attack.

"McMurdy's evil and senseless actions robbed an innocent woman of her independence, and have left her family completely devastated.

"He is a very disturbing individual and clearly a danger to the public.

"I hope that today's outcome provides some sense of closure to Mrs Houston and her family who can now hopefully begin to move on from this horrendous ordeal."