A former shortbread factory worker shattered a supervisor's skull in an attack which left her unable to speak.

Dad-of-five Jon Craig also smashed bones in Katarzyna Jaloszynska's face during the assault as she left her home in Elgin, Moray, to catch a bus to her work at Walkers Shortbread factory in Aberlour.

At the High Court in Glasgow, Craig admitted assaulting the 44-year-old to the danger of her life at 4.45am on October 26.

He was originally charged with attempted murder but his plea to the reduced charge was accepted.

Craig claimed Ms Jaloszynska's attitude towards him changed after he broke up with one of her friends.

The 55-year-old said she would take him off easy jobs and put him on cleaning duties. He said he felt she was punishing him.

Ms Jaloszynska left for work minutes before her husband heard screaming and found her badly injured, covered in blood and unable to speak.

Emergency surgery was carried out at Aberdeen Royal Hospital to remove fragments of bone from her brain.

She is still unable to speak but can respond to spoken words.

Prosecutor Duncan McPhie said: "The final outcome with regards to the complainer's brain injury has not yet been determined. It will take a minimum of six months to ascertain this.

"The consultant neurosurgeon said that the injuries sustained were consistent with blunt force trauma caused by a fair degree of force in order to fracture the skull."

Craig, from Elgin, made a formal complaint in April 2016 claiming he was being "abused, singled out, harassed and racially discriminated" against by Ms Jaloszynska, who is Polish.

He resigned from the company on May 23, 2016, citing child care as the reason. When questioned by police, Craig initially denied the assault.

He told officers: "Me and other factory workers were treated like Jews in a death camp."

Craig, who has been in custody since December 8, last year, will be sentenced by judge Lord Mulholland next month.