A MAN who ripped his wife's face open in a horror corkscrew attack at a county holiday park has been jailed for six years at the High Court in Glasgow.

Ian MacLeod, 52, who rammed the makeshift weapon into wife Debra MacLeod's face, was also ordered to be monitored in the community for two years after release from prison.

Mrs MacLeod has been left scarred for life following the frenzied attack at her former home at Thurston Manor Holiday Park, Innerwick, and is facing up to a dozen operations to rebuild her shattered face - the latest of which came on the same day her estranged husband was sentenced.

The self-employed beautician told the Courier she was recently evicted from Thurston Manor and was now living with her parents in Midlothian.

She was unhappy at the "lenient sentence".

"My lawyer warned me what the sentence might be, so it wasn't too much of a shock, but I still feel it was pretty lenient and he probably should have got longer," she said.

"But really, I just want to try and forget about it all and try and move on with my life." Ian MacLeod, who earned the nickname Bronco because of his violent nature, was originally charged with attempted murder after the attack at the caravan park on August 8, but the Crown accepted his guilty plea to a reduced charge of assault to danger of life.

Just a month before the brutal attack, MacLeod had been fined £100 and ordered to pay £50 compensation at Haddington Sheriff Court after admitting domestic assaults on wife Debra, 46, and her two daughters.

Prosecuting, advocate depute Morag Jack, said MacLeod had phoned his wife to say he was sorry about the assault and asked if they could get back together.

He then turned up at the holiday park with his suitcase, and when Mrs MacLeod returned from a night out with a friend she found him in her bed.

Ms Jack said Mrs MacLeod went to sleep in the spare room - taking a pair of scissors and a panic alarm with her.

But, the next morning, a naked MacLeod tried to get into her bed.

Mrs MacLeod got up, washed and dressed ready for work, said Ms Jack. In the lounge, MacLeod had his back to her.

Ms Jack said: "He turned without warning, grabbed her by the throat, put her to the ground and started squeezing her throat.

"Whilst she was pinned down the accused started punching her. He struck her between 10 and 15 times. Multiple blows were directed to her face." He then attacked his wife with the corkscrew.

"The pain from these stab injuries was intense and again there were multiple blows to her face," said Ms Jack.

MacLeod, of Drum Street, Edinburgh, then left his unconscious wife lying on the floor before calmly walking to his car and driving away.

Jailing MacLeod, temporary judge Michael O'Grady QC told him: "You have pleaded guilty to an appalling crime - a savage and brutal attack on a defenceless woman.

"It is clear your intention was to maim. I can't see any other reason. A report compiled on you says you have significant issues to address and until these are addressed you will continue to pose a risk." Defence counsel Ronnie Renucci said: "This was a totally and outrageous behaviour. He is ashamed and remorseful. He can remember little of it." MacLeod, he added, had been under significant stress at the time after a venture to buy a house in Spain had left the couple out of pocket to the tune of £48,000, and he was also worried about his son who had been the victim of a serious assault.

The court had heard that MacLeod had rummaged through a cutlery drawer during the holiday park attack, before picking up a corkscrew and saying: "This will do". He then began slashing at his estranged wife's face.

She suffered eight stab wounds as well as fractures to her face and needs further plastic surgery.

Mrs MacLeod managed to drag herself outside and was spotted staggering along the road. A neighbour rushed to her aid and managed to stop her choking on her own blood.

"Mrs MacLeod was bleeding heavily from her face, had a large hole in her left cheek and her eyes were almost swollen shut," said Ms Jack.

MacLeod was arrested two days later when he walked into a police station, saying he thought they were looking for him.

Ms Jack added: "She (Mrs MacLeod) is a good looking woman whose appearance has been altered as well as being scarred by the assault." Mrs MacLeod, who owed park bosses more than £500, says she is devastated at being evicted. She said her terrible attack had played a major part in her being in arrears for gas and electricity.

Park bosses told the Courier last month they had decided not to renew her licence due to "various legal matters" that had nothing to do with her assault in August.

Mrs MacLeod left hospital on December 11, the same day as her husband was jailed, after undergoing an operation to repair damage to her eye sustained during the horrific assault.

I'm now concentrating on re-building my life," she added.

"My two girls have been a tower of strength, but they were really upset when the sentence came through. They both thought he should have got a lot longer.

"I'm just out of hospital and have had an operation on my eye which needed 10 stitches. I've got to go back in in February to have surgery on my nose, cheeks and skull so I'm not out of the woods yet. But, at the moment, I'm just concentrating on getting somewhere to live."