The daughter of a Scots aid worker murdered by Islamic State was terrorised by a former boyfriend in a lengthy hate campaign.
Bethany Haines suffered six months of vile abuse at the hands of boyfriend-from-hell Andrew Murray.
The 22-year-old stalker even defaced a treasured scrap book she kept in memory of her father David, who was beheaded by IS executioner Jihadi John.
Murray was set to go on trial before a jury at Perth Sheriff Court but changed his plea at the last minute to admit carrying out a lengthy stalking campaign.
He admitted that throughout his relationship with Miss Haines, he caused her fear or alarm by subjecting her to constant controlling behaviour.
Bethany Haines, the daughter of ISIS victim David Haines, suffered a horrific ordeal at the hands of ex-boyfriend Andrew Murray (right)
Haines, 44, was killed by ISIS militants in Syria after spending more than a year as a hostage
Murray, of Perth, pleaded guilty to stalking the 20-year-old student in Coupar Angus, Perthshire, between April 1 and October 3, 2016. The court heard that he tampered with the contacts stored on Miss Haines’s mobile phone so that he could pose as one of her friends.
He then duped her into having text conversations with him in which she believed she was communicating with someone else.
Murray, whose obsessive behaviour started shortly after they began dating, also secretly sent partially naked pictures of Miss Haines to a friend. A source close to the case said: ‘Andrew Murray was a control freak and his contribution to this ‘relationship’ was completely toxic.
‘After all that Bethany has been through, this would have been the last thing she needed. She must have been particularly horrified when he trashed her scrapbook. That is cruel beyond belief.’
Murray admitted repeatedly shouting and swearing at Miss Haines and instructing her to remove male friends from her Facebook account.
He punched holes in walls and doors and bombarded the mother of one with accusations that she had been unfaithful during their relationship. Murray went on wrecking sprees in her home, smashing lamps, coffee tables and photo frames. He also terrified her by threatening to hurt himself.
Bethany posted this touching tribute to her father on the anniversary of his death last week
Fiscal depute Sue Ruta told the court Murray had no previous convictions and that full details of the case would be given to the court later this week. She said: ‘A very lengthy narration is anticipated, given the charge and the timescale involved in what the accused has pleaded guilty to.’
Sheriff Lindsay Foulis confirmed he would hear details of the case tomorrow. Outside court, Miss Haines declined to comment.
Last week, she posted a social media message marking the third anniversary of hearing how her father had died.
Haines was one of the victims of ISIS executioner ‘Jihadi John’, who was later killed in an airstrike
She wrote: ‘Three years ago I was woken up with the awful news that a video of my dad’s death had been released online. In those moments my whole world collapsed and even three years on it still feels the same.
‘They say with time it gets easier, but it really doesn’t. You just learn to deal with it.
‘Taken far too soon, and it’s now up to me to help stop any more families from ever feeling what I’m feeling. Love you daddy, fly high.’
Mr Haines, 44, was beheaded in September 2014.
The former RAF engineer, from Scone, Perthshire, was in Syria helping civil war victims when he was snatched by IS fanatics in Aleppo in March 2013.
Bethany has described how she turned to alcohol, drugs and self-harm to numb the torment of his abduction and the subsequent months he was held hostage.
She said: ‘I began to hurt myself. I kept thinking about the torture dad went through. I wanted to feel his pain.’