IS victim’s daughter stalked by ex partner

● Former boyfriend defaced treasured scrapbook she kept to remember father

The daughter of a Scottishbased aid worker murdered by Islamic State (IS) terrorists was left “scared and belittled” by her controlling partner who defaced a scrapbook she kept to remember her father, a court has heard.

Bethanyhaineswasinanon- off relationship with Andrew Murray when he targeted the “treasured” possession, a tribute to David Haines who was beheaded in Syria three years ago.

Perth Sheriff Court heard how Murray, 22, was jealous of her male friends and would accuse her of being unfaithful to him.

During their relationship between January and October last year, he tampered with her mobile phone, sent a compromising photograph of him and Ms Haines to a friend and punched a hole in the bedroom door of the home they shared in Coupar Angus, Perth and Kinross.

Murray has admitted causing his ex-partner fear or alarm with his behaviour and will be sentenced on 24 October after Sheriff Lindsay Foulis called for a social work report. The court heard how 20-year-old Ms Haines’ family and friends saw a difference in her appearance and demeanour when she was with Murray.

She stopped wearing makeup, rarely left the house and became hostile, prosecutors said.

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

The first offender also tampered with her phone contacts list, changing a friend’s number to his own so that he received messages sent to the friend by Ms Haines.

The court heard he called her an “unfit mother”, a “junkie”, a “slut” and a “liar”.

“The complainer felt scared and belittled,” said fiscal depute Sue Ruta.

She had returned to live with her mother in Scone in September last year when she received a message from Murray saying he had found her scrapbook – a 45-page notebook containing press articles and notes from journalists in relation to her father.

Ms Ruta said: “She treasured the book. It was her way of remembering her father.”

Yorkshire-born Mr Haines, 44, was taken hostage in Syria while working for international relief agency Acted in March 2014. He had been helping refugees in a camp near the Turkish border when he was snatched by IS.