A hammer attacker left a north-east mum pleading for her life during a savage robbery that left her with skull fractures.
Stuart Marley had earlier agreed to pay the 30-year-old woman £80 for sexual acts and promised her “a surprise” before returning hours later and launching a brutal assault on her with a claw hammer.
During the attack the shocked and frightened victim begged him to stop and urged him not to kill her as she had a child.
Marley, 23, threatened to return and kill his victim if she ever told anyone what had happened, the High Court in Edinburgh heard.
He admitted assaulting the woman on May 6 this year at a flat in Aberdeen’s George Street, in Aberdeen, by repeatedly striking her on the head and body with a hammer to her severe injury and the danger of her life and robbing her of a purse and money.
A judge told Marley: “You have pled guilty to an extremely serious offence involving an assault using a hammer on a young woman.”
Lady Wise ordered that Marley be remanded in custody ahead of sentencing him later this month.
The court heard that unemployed Marley, from Aberdeen, who is currently a prisoner at HMP Grampian, has previous convictions for violence that resulted in two years detention for robbery in 2012 and a 137 day restriction of liberty order in 2015 for serious assault.
Advocate depute Alan Cameron said Marley’s latest victim had placed an online advert for escort and massage services on May 5.
In the early hours of the following day she was contacted by the accused who asked to meet her.
She gave him directions to the flat where she was living temporarily.
Mr Cameron said: “When he arrived he indicated he wanted to have sexual intercourse with her and she refused.”
“He initially appeared angry at that but she indicated that she would perform other sexual acts for £80 and he agreed.
“After they had done this the accused left and no mention was made of contacting the victim again,” he said.
Later that day, however, Marley phoned her three times. She did not recognise his voice but told him she was not available and when he said during one call that he was coming round for sex she advised him to look elsewhere.
She later heard knocking at the door and when she answered realised that Marley had been the man making the calls.
Her young child was asleep in the living room and she took the caller into a bedroom. Marley had a bag of clothes in one hand and an envelope in the other.
Mr Cameron said: “He told her that he had a surprise for her, handed her the envelope and told her to open it. She did so and found it contained another envelope which he also told her to open.”
The prosecutor said: “As she was doing so he produced a claw hammer from behind his back and struck her a number of times on the head with it.”
“She was shocked and scared and tried to defend herself with her hands.
“He continued to strike her on the arm and head with the hammer as she begged him to stop.”
The victim said she had money and told him it was in the living room. As she looked for her purse Marley told her she better not be lying or he would kill her.
The woman handed over her purse containing cards and about £270.
Mr Cameron added: “The accused then struck her a few more times on the head with the hammer. She again begged him not to kill her as she had a child.”
After threatening that he would kill her if she revealed what had occurred to anyone ,Marley left the flat.
The woman contacted a relative who phoned for an ambulance. She was taken to hospital and a CT scan revealed fragments of bone at the front and back of her head consistent with outer skull fractures.
Mr Cameron said the injuries she sustained were not actually life threatening but an assault of the type perpetrated by Marley had “the obvious potential to endanger the complainer’s life”.
The woman later identified her attacker from photos and Marley was arrested.
He gave a “no comment” interview to police.
