SNS GroupA man who waterboarded a woman during a campaign of physical and sexual violence has been jailed for 16 years.
Michael Christie left the victim badly traumatised including a “morning routine” of raping her.
The now 52-year-old also tormented a young girl, shutting her in a room and making her squat in pain for up to 30 minutes at a time.
Christie was sentenced at the High Court in Glasgow.
He had earlier been convicted of a total of eight charges spanning between 2003 and 2020.
The crimes occurred in Ayr, Saltcoats, and Troon, all in Ayrshire as well as other locations including Clydebank, West Dunbartonshire.
Judge Tony Kelly sentenced Christie to 11 years for the sexual offences, with a further five for the physical assaults.
Christie, of Troon, was put on the sex offenders list and banned from going near either victim, both for an indefinite period.
Jurors heard what was described as a “graphic account” of one sex attack on the woman.
Christie held a towel over the victim’s face and poured water over it.
The woman told the court how she “could not breathe” and felt as if she was choking.
She recalled the towel being soaking and stinking of bleach – but Christie said nothing as he went on to rape her.
The woman separately spoke of Christie’s “morning routine” of having sex with her initially while she was asleep.
He also tried to rape her after storming into her home uninvited.
The woman further gave a “vivid” recollection of “almost casual”, but often brutal assaults on her.
This included her being kicked on the back, causing her to tumble down the stairs.
Christie was convicted of three rape charges, assault with intent to rape and aggravated physical assault.
He was further guilty of two charges of assaulting the child to her injury as well as threatening and abusive behaviour.
Judge Kelly said what Christie had done must have caused “significant harm”.
Referring to the abuse of the woman, he told him: “It was constant, it was awful and must have been horrific.”
The judge stated the younger victim had also been badly affected over the years.
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