A violent sex offender who repeatedly raped a woman and twice tried to murder her was jailed for 13 years today.
Jahmarley Michaud carried out the attacks on his victim when he was still a teenager and went on to abuse a second woman whom he threatened to kill.
A judge told Michaud, now aged 21, at the High Court in Edinburgh that he had carried out a “campaign of abusive cruelty”.
Lord Lake said it seemed to him from the evidence that he heard and a background report prepared on him that Michaud was “a very dangerous person”.
He said that the actions of Michaud towards his victims were “callous in the extreme”.
The judge ordered that Michaud should also be subject to a further two years supervision when he will be under licence and can be returned to prison if he breaches its conditions.
Defence counsel David Moggach said Michaud has continued to maintain his innocence.
Smothered victim with duvet
Michaud, who is detained at Polmont Young Offenders Institution, denied a series of charges during an earlier trial but was convicted of seven charges, including attempted murder, rape, assault with intent to rape, assault and abusive conduct.
The offending occurred between July 2019 and August last year.
Michaud’s first victim was subjected to prolonged abuse when she was punched, kicked, dragged and threatened by him at addresses in Aberdeen and Banff.
He also tried to murder her on two separate occasions in 2020, firstly by pinning her down and putting a duvet over her head and smothering her and then by placing an arm around her neck and throttling her.
Michaud subjected her to repeated sex attacks during which the woman said she had told him “no” and to stop.
Michaud had claimed that the sex was consensual and denied assaulting her but said there had been play fighting.
Threatened woman with hot cooking oil
The court was shown photos of a clump of dark hair which the woman said was hers and was pulled out by Michaud as he dragged her.
Michaud told jurors at his trial: “No, there was no dragging, no dragging at any point.” He claimed that he got his hair pulled.
He went on to abuse a 34-year-old woman in Aberdeen, who he locked in her home and threatened to kill.
He punched the woman on the head and throttled her and issued threats to harm while he had a pan of hot cooking oil last year.
Mr Moggach said Michaud was brought up in the Caribbean and came to the UK as a teenager. He moved to Aberdeen to live with a relative.
The defence counsel said that Michaud was aged 17 to 20 when the offences were committed and was still a young man who was “hopefully capable of rehabilitation”.