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A woman has undergone emergency surgery after her eyes were gouged in a horrific attack outside a hotel in north-west Victoria over the weekend.
The 28-year-old was heard arguing with a man, believed to be her de facto husband, outside the Malmsbury Hotel, in Malmsbury, in the early hours of Saturday, police said today.
The man then allegedly attacked the woman with an electric cattle prod, poking her in the neck, before she scrambled free, police spokeswoman Katherine Jess said.
After chasing the woman down the street, the man allegedly again struggled with his victim, gouging her eyes and ripping one clean out its socket.
The woman was today recovering after emergency surgery at the Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital, Melbourne.
A 30-year-old Malmsbury man was later arrested and was due to appear before Kyneton Magistrates Court today to face 12 charges related to the assault, Ms Jess said.
A spokeswoman for the Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital said today the victim was in a stable condition, but emotionally distraught following the attack.
"It's too early to determine the long term outcome for her vision," spokeswoman Sonia Aplin said.
- AAP
