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A chilling photo shows tragic student Emily Drouet in the grip of her monster boyfriend just weeks before his abusive behaviour drove her to suicide .

The picture, taken on Emily’s 18th birthday in an Aberdeen nightclub, shows the law student in the arms of Angus Milligan.

Depraved Milligan last week escaped jail for a sinister campaign of abuse against the teenager, which ended only when Emily took her own life, Daily Record reports.

The snap, showing the teenager after a few drinks at her party, was taken at the height of the violent attacks when he would regularly slap, choke, bully and abuse his tormented girlfriend.

Less than a month after the party, Emily would strangle herself in her room at Aberdeen University’s halls of residence.

The 18-year-old's heartbroken mum says the picture makes her feel "ill".

(Image: NEWSLINE MEDIA LIMITED)

Her mum Fiona, 45, said: “That picture makes me feel ill. It tears me apart when I see it. He looks like a monster and Emily doesn’t even look like herself. I hate it but I think it shows him for what he is.

“She had been so happy getting ready for her party, which we had organised for her up there. She had sent me pictures earlier in the day after getting her make-up done and was so looking forward to it.

“Knowing what we do now about what he had been doing to her, it makes me sick.”

The former public schoolboy was given just 180 hours of community service and a year’s supervision order at Aberdeen Sheriff Court after he admitted attacking Emily, choking and slapping her, as well as verbally and physically abusing her.

As Fiona and husband Germain faced him in court, they would hear his legal team try to claim that Milligan’s sinister campaign was a result of Emily being unfaithful to him.

Tearful Fiona said: “It was the lowest of blows. Emily was the victim of sustained abuse and bullying by Angus Milligan when she was alive and it feels like he has been allowed to bully her all over again in death. It’s sickening.

“My daughter is the victim, not him. And by getting his lawyers to claim that Emily was responsible in some way for his abuse is beyond what we could have imagined.

“And they can only say that because Emily is dead. My daughter is not here to defend herself. There is only one reason Angus Milligan had his lawyers talk about those details. It was to hurt us and an attempt to blacken Emily’s name.

“Has he not done enough? My daughter is dead and he wants to continue to try to blame her for his violent and controlling behaviour.”

The family – now working with the Crown Office to get a Fatal Accident Inquiry into Emily’s death on March 17 last year – broke down after Milligan was sentenced.

Fiona said: “Of course we wanted him jailed but we were realistic – he was a first offender and we had prepared ourselves that he might get community service.

“What we did not expect was for Emily’s reputation to be ripped apart. But I suppose we should have known.”

Milligan only faced justice after the grief-stricken family launched a campaign when they were told of the abuse by Emily’s friends. She had hidden the violence from them.

Aberdeen University, who had reports from welfare officers within the halls who Emily had gone to because she was distressed by his behaviour, had told them nothing.

What they uncovered about Milligan, a direct descendant of Andrew Carnegie and whose grandfather was one of Scotland’s most respected judges, makes sobering reading for any parent.

Milligan’s social media going back to when he was 17 reveals a perverse contempt for women.

(Image: Daily Record)

The Edinburgh schoolboy, using obscene language, regularly asks his friends’ girlfriends for sex, calls girls sluts and whores and, during a hot tub party at his £1million home in the capital, reveals lurid details of the goings-on.

As Emily’s friends went to police to report some of the abuse and Milligan was taken in for questioning, the family would discover that he was still living in the halls of residence where he had assaulted Emily. And, even in the days after her death, he went out partying.

Fiona said: “The last 15 months still don’t seem real to me. I can’t describe what this has been like. I will never be able to see or speak to my daughter again to tell her what she was going through was wrong and make things better. All I could do for Emily was this. This is my way of looking after her now.”

Milligan’s parents have never been in court and he has never tried to reach out to the Drouet family.

He has only ever been accompanied to court by his uncle, a lawyer who works at a legal firm in Dornoch, Sutherland, where Milligan has been living in a cottage handed down through the family by Andrew Carnegie.

Fiona said: “He’s never said sorry, his family have never come to us. My daughter is dead because of their son and his behaviour. If it was my son, I would not have been able to live with myself until I spoke to them.”

Germain added: “The only time his family got in touch was through the university chaplain asking if Mr Milligan could attend Emily’s service.

“We responded by saying if Mr Milligan wanted to tell us the truth about what happened that night, then we would consider their request. We had no response.”

Fiona and Germain have also had the very difficult task of trying to explain to their other two children, Rachel, 14, and Calvin, 11, why Milligan is not behind bars.

Fiona said: “I have to talk to my two other children about things that they should know nothing about.

“Rachel has been so strong but last month she broke down and Calvin is just so confused. He has destroyed and damaged so many lives.”

Fiona, now working with Women’s Aid, will talk to students around the country about Emily’s experience.

Dr Marsha Scott, chief executive of Scottish Women’s Aid, said: “It is the desperate and devastating reality that domestic abuse takes the lives of a small number of women who experience it, and the heartbreak this inflicts on their family, friends, communities and other relationships can’t be underestimated.”

Aberdeen University said they were unable to comment specifically on Milligan due to data protection laws.

Fiona added: “I can’t even describe the physical pain of now knowing how unhappy and desperate she was in the last few months of her life. But we had 18 years of happiness with her and we’re trying to remember that.”

Samaritans (116 123) operates a 24-hour service available every day of the year. If you prefer to write down how you’re feeling, or if you’re worried about being overheard on the phone, you can email Samaritans at jo@samaritans.org