Two women whose former partner has been jailed for abuse have told STV News they believe he has more victims.
Hadyn Edmonds, a 37-year-old chef from Edinburgh, was jailed for at least nine years for the offences – including rape – which took place between 2016 and 2019.
Now Maureen McDonald and Lisa Morris have waived their right to anonymity to speak out.
Both women say it took some time before they felt able to report the crimes to police.
Maureen said: “I was really depressed but mostly I was just angry and I couldn’t live with that hate inside me any more.
“It was all-consuming to the point where I felt suicidal and I just thought ‘I can’t live like this anymore’ and that’s what made me report.”
Lisa added: “I didn’t want to say anything before. I was scared. I felt like it was my fault, I didn’t want to tell anybody that it had happened to me. I just felt embarrassed, which is silly, but I did.”
Edmonds was found guilty of two counts of rape as well as threats of violence.
The judge told him he’d been unrepentant and lacked any insight into the serious harm he had caused.
Maureen said one of the most frightening incidents came when she tried to end the relationship.
“I got my suitcase to go and leave,” she said. “He had a samurai sword above his wardrobe – he pulled that out and it missed my face by about an inch. He held it to his throat and his wrist and said ‘I’m going to f***ing kill myself if you leave.”
Lisa had been seeing Edmonds some years earlier.
STV News“He raped me numerous times when I was asleep,” she said. “I was just numb, I couldn’t move, I couldn’t do anything. It was disgusting, but I think the breaking point was when he’d done it the third time. I left that night when he fell asleep and never went back.”
Maureen and Lisa are urging anyone else who may have been attacked by Edmonds to come forward.
Scotland’s Procurator Fiscal for High Court Sexual Offences, Katrina Parkes, said: “Haydn Edmonds poses a clear danger to women. The offences he carried out against these vulnerable women are reprehensible.
“The bravery of his victims in reporting him to the authorities shows immense strength and courage, for which they should be commended.
“I hope this conviction brings some comfort as Edmonds now faces the consequences of his depraved behaviour.
“We urge any victim of similar offending to come forward, report it and seek help.
“You will be taken seriously, listened to, and we will use all the tools available to us to pursue justice.”
Help and support is available now if you need it. Details of services available can be found at stv.tv/advice
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