Michael Christie was jailed for 16 years for abusing Emma Goddard (Image: Supplied)
Michael Christie, 52, horrifically abused Emma Goddard, 36, for over a decade before she managed to break free from his clutches.
The mother revealed that she had “accepted” the abuse as part of her daily life until a compassionate local woman enquired about her black eyes.
In an interview with the Daily Record, Emma-Louise disclosed how this chance meeting led to the woman convincing her to contact the police.
She said: “The abuse had been going on so long that I was just going through the motions. I had accepted it as part of my life.
“But a woman stopped me in the street one day after noticing my black eyes and asked me if I was okay.
“I guess I was just ready to open up. I told her everything and she handed me her phone so I could call the police and women’s aid.
Emma-Louise was sexually and physically abused for 13-years. (Image: Supplied)
“He was arrested that night.”
Reflecting on her horrifying experience at the hands of evil Christie, Emma-Louise said: “I was just a teenager when I met him. He made sure I was very quickly estranged from my friends and family as he took control of my life. Then he started the sexual and physical abuse.
“He would rape me when I was sleeping and then continue doing so when I woke up.
“He was constantly attacking me and the neighbours would hear and phone the police but he had me under his spell and I never said anything when they arrived.
“I was completely terrified and so isolated that I just felt powerless.”
Emma-Louise suffered a broken collar-bone, fingers and toes at Christie’s hands but said two episodes of abuse terrified her more than any others – when she was locked up and separately subjected to a torture method known as waterboarding.
Michael Christie was jailed for 16 years at the High Court in Glasgow. (Image: Supplied)
She went on: “We were living in a flat in Clydebank in the winter of 2010, but he got some work in Thurso cutting down Christmas trees.
“So he decided to lock me up for four days and he wouldn’t let me have a phone, so I was trapped in there.
“I didn’t have much food and was completely terrified. If I had some sort of medical emergency I would have had no way of getting help.
“Another day in 2014, he attacked me and I was sure he was going to kill me.
“He used handcuffs to chain me to a radiator in the bathroom and stuck a towel over my face and poured water over it.
“I’ve since learned this is called waterboarding. At the time, I thought I was about to die.”
Emma-Louise said Christie would even force her to move to different addresses when neighbours noticed something was wrong to avoid attention of the cops.
But after he was arrested, Emma-Louise faced an agonising wait for justice due to delays in the case going to court amidst the Covid-19 pandemic.
Christie was eventually found guilty in April this year following a trial in Glasgow where he was convicted of multiple rapes and assault resulting in severe injury and permanent disfigurement between 2003 and 2016.
The thug was handed a 16-year prison term on May 12.
Responding to the sentence, Emma-Louise said:
Reacting to the sentence, Emma-Louise said: “It took a long time for him to be convicted but thankfully he was given a long sentence by the courts.
Emma-Louise met Michael Christie when she was just 15-years-old. (Image: Supplied)
“But the ordeal he put me through was far more punishing and I need to live with the trauma for the rest of my life.
“People like him don’t care about the consequences of their actions, but I hope any women reading this who are being abused realise that it just takes one phone call – like the one I made the day I met that woman – and everything can change.”
Detective Chief Inspector Jennifer McCulloch, of Ayrshire CID said: “We acknowledge the sentencing of Christie, who will now face the consequences of actions.
“We remain committed to thoroughly investigating those responsible for these types of crimes and bringing them to justice.
“Any form of sexual abuse is a serious criminal offence and is a priority for Police Scotland. We encourage anyone with concerns about abuse, or a potential victim, to contact police immediately.”