Student spared jail over attacks on girlfriend, who later took her own life
Angus Milligan, 21, was given 180 hours of unpaid work and a one year supervision
A "vicious abuser" has escaped jail after attacking his teenage girlfriend who later took her own life.
Angus Milligan, 21, assaulted 18-year-old Emily Drouet after finding out she had engaged in a sex act with one of his relatives and a family friend during their relationship.
The couple began dating after meeting each other during their first semester at Aberdeen University in 2015 and grew close but ended up separating when Milligan discovered she had become involved in a threesome in February last year.
Both students had agreed that their relationship was "not exclusive" and they were free to date other people. But Milligan subjected Emily to a campaign of abuse over a period of seven days after he was told she had become sexually involved with his relative.
On March 10 last year he turned up at the teenager's student accommodation at Hillhead Halls in Aberdeen, seized her by the neck and choked her leaving the teenager in fear of her life.
She was sadly found dead in her apartment a few days later on March 18 after committing suicide.
The psychology student admitted three charges when he appeared at the city sheriff court earlier this year.
He pled guilty to behaving in a threatening or abusive manner, sending grossly offensive messages to his former girlfriend and injuring her in an assault at her apartment.
Milligan, who is a descendant of the Fife-born philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, was sentenced at the city sheriff court yesterday and placed on a year of supervision. He was also ordered to carry out 180 hours of unpaid work as part of a community payback order.
Following the hearing, Emily's parents, Fiona and Germain Drouet, said Milligan had "preyed on Emily's innocence and kindness".
Mrs Drouet said: "Over the last year we have struggled to understand why our beloved daughter Emily is no longer with us. And for the last year Angus Milligan did all he could to deny us the truth.
"Angus Milligan has been unmasked as a vicious abuser who stole our daughter's life. Emily was studying law because she believed in justice and wanted to make a difference. Today marks her first legal victory.
"No sentence Angus Milligan receives can reflect the destruction he has caused or bring Emily back."
Mrs Drouet stressed that Milligan had "repeatedly demanded" that her daughter had a threesome with his friend, and insisted that she had repeatedly refused.
She said: "Angus Milligan had for a sustained length of time suggested a sexual activity with Emily and his friend.
"That sexual activity then happened, but it wasn't on the terms that he wanted and Emily was too drunk to even remember the activity.
"We can only hope that by telling Emily's story no young woman will have to suffer at Angus Milligan's hands again."
The family said they were now working with the Crown Office in the hope that a fatal accident inquiry would now be held into their daughter's death.
During the hearing, defence lawyer Susan Duff said her client was particularly unhappy to find out that the sex act had taken place with one of his relatives with whom he had a "fraught" relationship.
The relative had travelled to Aberdeen on the 23rd of February to visit friends.
She said Miss Drouet text a friend on the evening of the 25th of February to let her know that she had had a "threesome" and named the people involved.
She sent another text to say that she did not want her boyfriend to find out but. But Milligan quickly became aware of what had happened and sent his girlfriend a message calling her a "f***ing joke".
Mrs Duff said other students began gossiping about the sexual activity which took place between Miss Drouet, her client's relative and a family friend at the university and on social media.
And after finding out what had happened, he assaulted his girlfriend in the "heat of the moment".
Mrs Duff said: "He fully accepts that. He was, and remains, shocked that he behaved in that way."
The law student visited Student Resident Assistants for advice telling them that she had been dumped by her boyfriend because of the threesome but was not classed as being a risk to herself.
The court was told that the couple eventually resolved their differences and had reconciled. But they fell out again on the night that she took her own life.
Mrs Duff said: "Mr Milligan had no comprehension that Miss Drouet was capable of acting as she did. Had he thought she was he would never have left her alone.
"That will remain with him."
Procurator fiscal depute Christopher Macintosh told the court that he was disappointed that the defence solicitor had gone into specific details of the case when the incident had previously been referred to as an "act of infidelity".
He said Emily had informed others that her boyfriend had tried to set up her in a threesome and had "tried to blackmail" her into having sex with one of his rugby team mates.
He said: "But Emily didn't want to do it as she felt is was degrading."
Sheriff Malcolm Garden said: "The circumstances surrounding this case are utterly tragic."
The sheriff told Milligan that he was placing him on a year of supervision and a community payback order as an alternative to custody