Angus Milligan avoids jail over Emily Drouet death
A mother yesterday told how her beautiful daughter’s life was ‘stolen’ by a controlling ex-boyfriend who flew into a vicious rage and assaulted her only days before she took her own life.
Brilliant law student Emily Drouet died eight days after Angus Milligan, a former public schoolboy from a family of prominent lawyers, turned up at her student halls of residence and choked her in a jealous rage.
She had arrived at the University of Aberdeen to begin her law degree only six months earlier.
Brilliant law student Emily Drouet (left) died eight days after Angus Milligan (right), a former public schoolboy from a family of prominent lawyers, turned up at her student halls of residence and choked her in a jealous rage
Miss Drouet’s parents, Fiona and Germain (pictured outside court), said Milligan had ‘preyed on Emily’s innocence and kindness’
At Aberdeen Sheriff Court yesterday Milligan, 21, a psychology student, escaped a jail term and was sentenced to 12 months’ supervision and ordered to carry out 180 hours of unpaid work as part of a community payback order.
Miss Drouet’s parents, Fiona and Germain, said Milligan had ‘preyed on Emily’s innocence and kindness’ and that their ‘naive’ daughter was subjected to weeks of verbal, physical and psychological abuse before she took her own life.
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 ha s 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.’
An injury Emily sustained at the hands of Milligan
The family said they were working with the Crown Office in the hope that a fatal accident inquiry would be held into their daughter’s death.
Milligan, from Edinburgh, is from a distinguished family. His late grandfather, Jim Milligan, was regarded as one of Scotland’s most respected judges, while his grandmother, Betty, was a descendant of the Fife-born philanthropist Andrew Carnegie.
He attended three private schools in Edinburgh, including Fettes College, Tony Blair’s old school, before he enrolled at Aberdeen, where he was described by students as ‘the alpha male on the campus’.
The court heard Milligan flew into a rage and assaulted Miss Drouet at the Hillhead halls of residence in March 2016. The couple had started dating after meeting during their f irst semester at the university in 2015, but their relationship soured after Milligan was told his girlfriend had been unfaithful.
Milligan became angry and assaulted Miss Drouet at the halls, where both students had a room.
Eight days later, the 18-year-old, who was from Glasgow, took her own life in her bedroom â€" shortly after Milligan was seen visiting her.
But despite escaping a jail sentence yesterday, he could face being thrown out of university in disgrace after officials confirmed he would face ‘internal disciplinary procedures’ due to his criminal conviction.
He pleaded guilty earlier this year to assaulting Miss Drouet, threatening and abusing her using abusive and offensive language, and sending offensive, indecent, obscene and menacing texts.
Five other charges, including one alleging he attempted to ch oke her minutes before she killed herself, were dropped because of a lack of evidence.
Emily had arrived at the University of Aberdeen to begin her law degree only six months earlier
Miss Drouet’s family branded Milligan ‘an animal and a bully’ who was guilty of ‘relentlessly abusing Emily, emotionally, verbally and physically until she could take no more’.
After Milligan admitted to three charges earlier this year, Mrs Drouet revealed: ‘He slapped her if he decided she was lying about something. He would tell her one minute she was the most beautiful girl and the next call her obscene names.’
Yesterday’s hearing heard claims from Milligan’s lawyer that the student became enraged when he found out Miss Drouet had engaged in a sex act with one of his relatives and a family friend.
The court heard Miss Drouet sent a text to a friend on the evening of February 25 last year telling her that she had a ‘threesome’ and named t he people involved.
She sent another message to say she did not want Milligan to find out, but gossip spread around the university and social media and he soon became aware of what had happened.
Milligan then turned up at her room, seized her by the neck and choked her, leaving her in fear of her life. Eight days later, Miss Drouet was found dead in her room, having taken her own life.
The court heard Miss Drouet sent a text to a friend on the evening of February 25 last year telling her that she had a ‘threesome’
Milligan’s solicitor, Susan Duff, told the court the couple had resolved their differences but they fell out again on the night Miss Drouet 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 Miss Drouet had informed others that her boyfriend had tried to set her up 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 it was degrading.’
A hearing in May he ard how Miss Drouet visited the student residence assistants’ office in a troubled state showing signs of abuse but, when asked if she had been assaulted by Milligan, she declined to confirm he had attacked her and no further action was taken.
Sheriff Malcolm Garden said: ‘The circumstances surrounding this case are utterly tragic.’
Despite escaping a jail sentence yesterday, Milligan (pictured at an earlier court hearing) could face being thrown out of university in disgrace after officials confirmed he would face ‘internal disciplinary procedures’
Outside the court, Mrs Drouet insisted Milligan had ‘repeatedly demanded’ that her daughter engage in sex acts with him and 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.’
Milligan was accompanied to both court hearings by his uncle, Colin James, a partner in Dornoch legal firm Arthur and Carmichael and secretary at Dunrobin Castle Limited.
It is understood Milligan has spent the past three months at his uncle’s property on Skibo Estate in Ross-shire, which was once owned by Andrew Carnegie.
The property, in the village of Clashmore, was passed to the family in 1981 following the death of Lord Migdale, the Lord Lieutenant of Sutherland, and then to Mr James and his wife Wendy, in 2010.
Milligan’s father Peter gained a law degree and trained as a solicitor, becoming a QC, but is now a director of Ulpian Systems, an Edinburgh-based developer of business and domestic software.
He and his wife Sarah, who is a co-director of the company, recently sold their four-bedroom townhouse in Edinburgh’s exclusive New Town after p utting it on the market for offers over £895,000.
A spokesman for the University of Aberdeen said that internal disciplinary proceedings against Milligan ‘will recommence’ now he has been sentenced.
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.’
- For confidential support, call the Samaritans on 116123, visit a local branch or go to the website www.samaritans.orgÂ
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