Edinburgh man who attacked his student girlfriend days before she killed herself dodges jail

An Edinburgh man who attacked and abused his student girlfriend days before she took her own life has been sentenced to community service.

Angus Milligan, 21, admitted behaving in a threatening and abusive manner towards Emily Drouet in March last year at a student halls of residence in Aberdeen.

He also admitted assaulting her on March 10 last year, Aberdeen Sheriff Court clerk's office said.

Ms Drouet, 18, a first-year law student at Aberdeen University, was found dead in her room on March 17, 2016.

Milligan, who pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing, was sentenced to 180 hours of unpaid work when he appeared at Aberdeen Sheriff Court on Wednesday, the clerk's office said.

He was also placed under supervision for one year.

In a statement after the sentencing, Miss Drouet's mother Fiona said: It's just over a year since we lost Emily and, with every day that passes, the sense of loss for our beautiful, precious daughter seems to grow.

There is no end in sight for the agonising grief we feel.

We will never give up on our fight to make sure no other young woman suffers at the hands of Milligan and other sick predators.

The criminal justice system has done its work but ours is just beginning.''

Milligan also pleaded guilty to sending offensive messages by means of public and electronic communications on March 3 and 4 last year.

Miss Drouet, from Glasgow, shared the same hall of residence as Milligan in Aberdeen.

Her father Germain, an Easyjet pilot, said: No sentence imposed would bring Emily back or reflect the damage he has done to everyone who knew and loved Emily.''

Inspector Lee Jardine, of Police Scotland, said: Domestic abuse is a complex issue and tackling it is an absolute priority for us in our efforts to keep people safe.

Our focus is on raising awareness, supporting those affected and bringing those responsible to justice. We always encourage those with concerns to report them to us on 101.'