EMMA’S STORY
‘ It’s terrifying but women need to speak out to change this
Emma began chatting with Stuart Murray on a dating website, and the pair met two weeks later.
She had no idea that their first date would lead to months of suffering at the hands of a man she thought she loved and trusted.
Emma said: “If he wasn’t drinking, he would be quiet but if he went to the shop to buy Buckfast, that’s when he would start getting loud, throwing his arms about.
“He would call me names – a slut, or slag – and make me feel absolutely terrible.
“I didn’t know what I would come home to after work, if he was in a good mood or if he was going to be violent.
“It’s taken a long time to get over this, and I don’t think I really have yet.
“It has affected my relationships since, I have anxiety and the things he said to me still stick, even though I know they’re not true.”
Emma said the court experience, although frightening at first, has given her the ability to move on with her life.
She said: “It was really scary going to court, having to answer questions and be accused of lying about what happened.
“It was worth it though, to know he has been found guilty for things he has done to us all.
“Women need to come forward and stand up against this. It’s the only way things will ever change.”