Surgeons had to use 13 metal plates to rebuild shattered face of an innocent attack victim

Surgeons had to peel the skin back from his face to reconstruct his shattered features as they inserted 13 metal plates and screws.

His attacker, Paul Paterson, 22, was jailed for six years at the High Court in Edinburgh yesterday after he admitted assaulting Mr Smith to his severe injury, permanent disfigurement and the danger of his life.

Lord Johnston told him: ''It has been said in this court more times than I care to think about, that this court cannot tolerate this kind of mindless violence being perpetrated against an innocent member of the public going about his lawful business.''

The judge added: ''I am surprised and delighted the victim did not die.''

The court heard that Paterson, who had been drinking and taking valium, flew into a rage after an uncle told him he had slept with Paterson's girlfriend.

Paterson then picked on Mr Smith as he walked home from a pub and, despite the innocent man's attempt to turn the other cheek, he was repeatedly punched, kicked and stamped on.

Advocate depute Frank Mulholland said Mr Smith, a textile mill worker, had gone out for a drink in his home town of Newton St Boswells, on February 7 this year.

He ''was not in any way drunk'' as he set out to return home. En route he encountered Paterson in the town's Whitefield Court.

''He tried to walk past Paterson, who challenged him to a fight, without any provocation,'' said the advocate depute.

Paterson was shouting at him: ''Come on, take me on.'' Mr Smith tried to walk on by, but Paterson blocked his path and suddenly punched him repeatedly on the face.

''An eyewitness describes Mr Smith as making no attempt to fight back. All he was trying to do was to get past Paterson to continue on his way home,'' said Mr Mulholland.

Paterson stripped off his jumper and T-shirt, leaving himself naked to the waist, and relaunched a ferocious attack on his victim. He repeatedly punched and kicked him on the head, body and legs, knocking Mr Smith to the ground under a hail of blows.

The attacker then walked off, leaving his unconscious victim on the ground.

People rushed to the aid of Mr Smith and may have saved his life by placing him in the recovery position, to help him breathe as they awaited an ambulance.

Mr Smith spent two weeks in Edinburgh Royal Infirmary and was off work for a further month and a half. He has made a good physical recovery, although he has been left with permanent scarring on his scalp after the surgeons operated to rebuild his face.

He still feels weak from time to time and remains apprehensive about going out having suffered a partial loss of confidence.

Paterson, who was on bail at the time, was arrested on the night of the attack but made no reply to police was when he was charged.

He originally faced a charge of attempting to murder Mr Smith, but the Crown accepted his guilty plea to the reduced offence.

Defence counsel Brian McConnachie said: ''It is fully accepted by the accused that this was a completely unprovoked attack.''

He told the court that after the death of Paterson's grandfather - whom he regarded as a father figure - in 1996 Paterson's drinking and drug abuse got completely out of control.

Paterson returned to live with relatives in Newton St Boswells after losing his home and job in East Lothian.

On the night of the attack Paterson was drinking and taking valium and had been at a family party. Mr McConnachie said: ''An uncle indicated to him that he had recently slept with Mr Paterson's girlfriend.''

Paterson stormed out of the party and went to a phone box to call his girlfriend and a raging row broke out between the couple.

Mr McConnachie said: ''He describes himself, when he came out of the phone box, as being in a raging mood.''

Paterson could then remember someone coming down the street, but after that he could only recollect being in a police car.