The daughter of murdered aid worker David Haines has spoken out for the first time since her stalker returned to court for targeting other women with his sinister, violent and vile behaviour.
Andrew Murray was initially jailed in 2017 for a twisted course of conduct against Bethany as he tried to take control of her life in the wake of her father’s death in Syria at the hands of terrorists.
A last minute Crown decision to accept Murray’s plea bargain, removing reference to the violence he inflicted upon her, denied Bethany the chance to face him across a courtroom.
Murray was prosecuted for the months of domestic bullying and taunting behaviour but single mother Bethany felt failed again when the prison term was overturned on appeal.
His lawyers argued the 20-month sentence imposed upon him was too severe, leading the appeal court to commute his sentence to just 200 hours unpaid work instead.
However, Murray is finally set to spend time behind bars after Bethany’s case inspired four more of his victims to come forward and report his degrading and violent behaviour.
Bethany said she hopes the justice system will not let her and his other victims down for a second time.
She also revealed the previously unseen scrapbook Bethany compiled on her father, which Murray defiled, and which she had to wait years for prosecutors to return to her.
Wrecked precious scrapbook
Bethany thought Murray would be the partner who would support her after the trauma of discovering her father had been taken hostage and savagely murdered by so-called Jihadi John.
But the twisted brute preyed on her vulnerability and turned into a controlling monster.
The relationship came to the bitterest of ends when Murray deliberately mocked her father’s horrific death by defacing the scrapbook and leaving it out for her to find.
Aid worker and former RAF engineer David Haines, 44, from Perth, was taken hostage and then beheaded in September 2014.
London-born Jihadi John, 27 – real name Mohammed Emwazi – killed seven Westerners on camera before he was finally killed in a US drone strike.
Bethany, from Perthshire, said: “To see someone stoop so low just to hurt me was devastating.
“I never thought someone could be so malicious when he had told me he loved me.
“The day before the trial happened they offered him a plea deal, to stalking and harassment.
“I totally disagreed.
“I said I wanted to stand in court and give evidence.
“I was ready to do that.
“I didn’t want him going after somebody else the way he had gone after me.
“I felt he would eventually kill someone.
“They reduced him from a jail sentence to 200 hours community payback and the judge said that was because ‘there was no violence.’
“I was left to deal with it.”
Further victims come forward
Bethany’s story had reached the mother of another young woman who realised her daughter was in a relationship with Murray.
“I got a message from a concerned mother.
“I had no idea who she was.
“I said I was sorry for her and I told her everything that had happened to me.
“She got her daughter away from him and got other girls to come forward that had been after me.
“He was emotionally abusive to them.
“Through time I have become close to some of the other victims, which has been great, having that support.
“They had gone through horrific things as well.
“I don’t feel I got justice but I hope the other girls do.
“I have done my best to support them through this.
“I feel the courts are more interested in protecting the perpetrators than the victims.
“They say they are taking domestic violence more seriously but the sentences just don’t back that up.
“If he goes to jail this time that is a win for me and the others.
“I do have problems trusting people now.
“Victim Support have helped me realise I can get through it and start living my life again.”
Prison warning to brute
Murray had sentence deferred until next month after he admitted attacking, stalking and controlling four more women.
He was granted bail at Perth Sheriff Court.
Murray, 26 , was warned he faces prison after the court heard he was a serial abuser of women who had systematically subjected them to violence and controlling behaviour over a six year period.
Sheriff Euan Duthie told Murray: “I have to say a custodial sentence is at the forefront of my mind and suggest you use the time before the next hearing to put your affairs in order.”
He admitted stalking and assaulting two women, attacking another and the domestic bullying of a fourth.
All were partners of Murray at the times of the offences – between June 2014 and December 2015, August 2018 to March 2019 and April to October 2019.
‘My boyfriend or my son son’
Bethany, from Perthshire, said: “He was a charming guy and it was quite nice to have someone who didn’t know me and my story and wasn’t just interested in talking about my dad.
“It’s difficult when the whole world knows you for one thing.
“Andy wasn’t overly interested in that and that was quite refreshing.
“With hindsight, that may have been a red flag.
“I think the warning signs were there quite early on.
“He wouldn’t let me wear fake tan. He wouldn’t let me paint my nails or wear white jeans.
“He was jealous of my friends.
“It was the violence that brought it to an end.
“I was scared my son or myself were going to be killed.
“I eventually opened up to a nurse about my bruising and she got social work involved.
“They told me there had been allegations before by another ex he had been abusive to.
“They told me to pick my boyfriend or my son – it wasn’t exactly a hard decision.”
