Man tormented Haines’ daughter

Andrew Murray ruined photos of murdered Perth aid worker

The daughter of murdered Perth aid worker David Haines has told how her ex-boyfriend turned her into a “prisoner” in her own home.

Andrew Murray destroyed Bethany Haines’ life as she was coming to terms with her father’s death at the hands of the IS terrorist ‘Jihadi John’.

Jealous of her close relationship with her father, Murray refused to let Ms Haines speak about him or display pictures of him.

He also destroyed a treasured scrapbook filled with memories and newspaper cuttings about her father and ‘beheaded’ images of the former boyfriend who helped her through the aftermath of the high-profile murder.

Ms Haines told Perth Sheriff Court: “It was a sick thing to do.

“Andrew was completely controlling.

“He treated me like a servant with the cooking and cleaning.”

Murray, 22, of Greyfriars Hostel, Perth, will be sentenced next month.

The daughter of a British aid worker murdered by Islamic terrorists has spoken for the first time of her ordeal at the hands of a jealous boyfriend.

Bethany Haines met Andrew Murray while still struggling to come to terms with the death of her father David Haines, who was publicly beheaded by the Islamic State group member known as Jihadi John in Syria.

After being introduced by friends, they embarked upon an on-off eight-month relationship during which Murray took over the 20-year-old’s life.

He “treated her like a servant” and left her feeling like “a prisoner” in her home, she said.

Perth Sheriff Court heard how Ms Haines’ family and friends saw a difference in her appearance and demeanour when she was with Murray.

He stopped her from wearing make-up and certain clothes and prevented her from leaving her house.

Murray was repeatedly checking her mobile phone and social media messages and insisted she remove about 50 male friends from her Facebook account.

He even tampered with her phone contacts list, changing a friend’s number to his own so he could intercept messages.

As their relationship finally fractured, he destroyed a “treasured” scrapbook filled with pictures of her father and press clippings about his life.

It had been a tribute to her father and one means of trying to come to terms with his death.

Ms Haines told the court: “There was a photo of me with my then-partner John in that scrapbook as he went to my dad’s memorial service with me.

“He had ‘beheaded’ him and portrayed him as Jihadi John.

“It was a sick thing to do. Andrew was completely controlling.

“I wasn’t allowed to watch the news or put photos of my dad up in the house. It was like he was jealous of how close my dad and I were.

“I was not allowed to talk about it or see the trauma counsellor, or wear jewellery that my dad had bought me.

“Obviously I was extremely vulnerable at the time. He took advantage of that fact.

“In the house he was in control of the finances even though he was contributing nothing,” she added.

“He treated me like a servant with the cooking and cleaning. I felt like I was prisoner in my own home.”

Depute fiscal Sue Ruta told the court the relationship had left Miss Haines feeling “scared and belittled”.

Murray, 22, whose address was given as Greyfriars Hostel, Princes Street, Perth, pleaded guilty to charges that, between January and October last year, he tampered with Ms Haines’ mobile phone, sent a compromising photograph of him and Ms Haines to a friend and damaged the home they shared in Coupar Angus and causing Miss Haines fear and alarm.

Murray will return to court to be sentenced on October 24.

The Crown has indicated it will seek a non-harassment order.

Murray was in an on-off eight-month relationship with Bethany Haines.

Andrew Murray made Bethany Haines’ life a misery as she tried to come to terms with her father David, above.