My two years of terror at hands of brutal rapist
Brave mum thought she would die as tormentor choked, abducted, battered and raped her during sick reign of relentless abuse
A MUM has told how she feared she would be murdered at the hands of a vile double rapist.
Ex-chef Gary Difolco is facing prison after being convicted of terrorising two girlfriends over a period of six years – subjecting them to relentless physical and sexual abuse.
Lyndsay Kilpatrick was choked, abducted from her bed, raped and left covered in bruises during their harrowing two-year relationship.
And when the mum of three was hospitalised due to the stress, Difolco, 33, from Ardrossan, Ayrshire, sent her chilling threats, including an image of him with a blade held to his throat.
Lyndsay spoke out about her escape from Difolco after his catalogue of sickening crimes was finally laid bare in court, in the hope she will help protect other women in the future.
Bravely waiving her right to anonymity, she said: “I want victims to know that they can come forward, they will be listened to and you can get justice.”
Lyndsay was introduced to Difolco via a friend in late 2016 following
If he wanted to have sex and I said no, he would do it anyway LYNDSAY KILPATRICK ON DIFOLCO’S SEX ATTACKS
the breakdown of her marriage. He was quick to cement the relationship with a marriage proposal but within months he became violent.
The 48-year-old said: “He actually proposed to me within the first few weeks and put a big declaration on Facebook saying I was his soulmate. I fell for it all.
“It started with him smashing up the house, then he started hitting me. The neighbours would phone the police and they would come out constantly. He blamed it on his mental health issues and I believed him because I thought I loved him. But I was scared. He used to tell me if I left he would kill me and kill himself.
“This went on and on for two years. I was convinced he would end up killing me one day.”
Lyndsay was frequently covered in bruises and had to give up her job as a carer as she struggled to conceal what was happening.
She told how Difolco would track her phone and stop her from speaking to other people, isolating her from friends and family. She said: “He used to hit me all the time then moved on to choking because he knew that would be quieter. He used to choke the life out of me and said he enjoyed having my life in his hands.
“He said he would kill me if I ever made a police statement. I was terrified and in too deep.
“I was in touch with Women’s Aid because of the police contact and they told me I was one of the most high-risk cases they had ever seen.”
Difolco began to subject Lyndsay to sexual assaults, including one when he broke into her home as she slept and dragged her into his car.
She said: “I woke and he was standing there. He dragged me out and took me away up to a local reservoir, where he violently raped me.
“He used it as a punishment. If he wanted to have sex and I said no he would do it anyway. Even in public he would drag me places.
“He got jailed for violently assaulting me and controlled me even when he was in prison. I had to be in the house for his phone calls and I was so far under his control I did it all.”
Lyndsay only found a way out when she was hospitalised due to the physical and mental toll of the abuse. She said: “I lost so much weight and ended up in the psychiatric hospital. He harassed me the whole time and hacked into my phone and Facebook. He sent me pictures including one of him with a knife to his neck.
“If I hadn’t gone to hospital, I would have died. Either he would have killed me or my body would have shut down under the stress of it all. The hospital was a saviour for me.”
Soon after being discharged, Lyndsay pressed charges against her ex.
Difolco denied the charges and went on trial at the High Court in Glasgow last month, where he was found guilty of raping her on various occasions between January 2017 and April 2019.
He was also convicted of abducting her by grabbing her by the hair and dragging her from her bed and driving her to Mill Glen reservoir, where he assaulted and raped her.
The catalogue of abuse he was convicted of included punching and kicking Lyndsay, grabbing her by the neck and restricting her breathing. He was also convicted of assaulting and raping another partner, who cannot be named for legal reasons, on various occasions.
Lyndsay said: “One of the reasons I came forward was to protect the next person he met. I’m already worrying about when he gets out and he’s not even sentenced yet but I just don’t want other women to be scared to come forward.
“The police were great from the first day, when I was convinced I wouldn’t speak to them. Many women don’t know there is an escape route. Women’s Aid was amazing and helped me make plans to get away without him knowing and Rape Crisis supported me through the trial.
“Sometimes you can’t speak to your family because it’s too hard for them to hear. But there is help out there and I wouldn’t be here today without that support.”
Difolco is currently remanded in custody and will face sentence later this month.