A Lanarkshire mum was seriously injured when three men burst into her home and attacked her with a machete.
Ashley Reilly suffered severed tendons in her wrist and and ankle defending herself in attack in the early hours attack of the morning.
The 35-year-old was at home with her 14-year-old son Benji and daughter Vogue, six, when she wakened by the sound of a window smashing, the Daily Record reports.
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She screamed at the children to hide while she used a wardrobe to shield herself from the three men.
Ashley says she didn't realise she was injured until her attackers ran off and and she knew the children were safe.
She told the Record: "They were swinging the machete about, up and down at me.
"I didn't even realise I'd been hurt - I was shouting at them the police were coming and they ran off.
"I was just thinking of the kids. I would die defending them, so I didn't feel a thing.
"Then I looked down and I could actually see my leg bone sticking out. Then I thought 'I need to shut that.'
"I tried to pull my leg together so the kids didn't see."
The terrifying drama unfolded at 4am on Monday, May 2 in Ashely's Lanark home.
She says the quick actions of young Benji and those of a police officer at the scene helped save her, who kept her conscious while waiting for the ambulance to arrive.
She explained: ""He saved my life. He needs a medal and I want to get him a bottle of whisky.
"He wrapped up my wounds, held my hand, and told me I wasn't going to die.
"He was telling me how he remembered me growing up. He said I was a wee bugger and had a little laugh.
"He kept me talking and kept me calm by was asking me about the kids and what I'd been up to.
"But in the ambulance, I saw him crying. I think he wasn't sure I would pull through. He was trying to give me the chance to speak to my kids - to say goodbye.
"I thought 'That's it - I'm going to die here'."
Ashly suffered a 15cm deep gash in her thigh, a 13cm cut to her shin and horrific cuts to her left foot and hand.
Her middle toe was badly hacked in the attack and she still doesn't know if she will lose it or not.
She added: "I don't want vengeance. I want to get justice and to see these people locked up.
"They don't deserve to be free for what they did to me - especially in front of my kids.
"I don't want them hurt or in any pain. They've got mums, daughters, kids, and that would make me as bad as them.
"No, I want them to go to jail and look themselves in the mirror and think about what they've done to me and my family.
"Vogue has been talking about it at night, asking if I saved her life, telling me what she saw.
"Benji's told me he was scared they would go through me and then do him in. But I keep telling him he saved my life."
Ashley believes she was watched from a white car in the days leading up to the attack.
She has now left Lanark for the sake of her children.
She added: "My whole life has been changed and I'm petrified at the thought of ever going home.
"But my revenge will be to be happy. I used to be quite vain, but now that I have these scars, I'm over that.
"I'll still go about in my shorts, with my scars on show. They're part of me and my story now.
"And if anyone asks how I got them, I can say I got them saving my kids' lives."
Speaking in the days following the attack Detective Sergeant Darrick Lunan of Wishaw CID pointed out: "The motive for this assault has still to be established, however, we believe that the suspects, for whatever reason, targeted this particular address.
"Officers have been carrying out enquiries since the attack and are keen to trace a white car seen in the area between 3.50am and 4.10am on Monday morning."
Police confirmed the inquiry remains open.
If you can help call Wishaw CID on 101
Quote reference number 0511 of Monday, May 2, 2022 when calling.
