A brave Scots teen has opened up on the horrific sexual and physical abuse she suffered at the hands of her evil boyfriend before her family staged an intervention to help her escape. Roni Smith, who has waived her right to anonymity, was raped by Brandon MacLean just 19 days into their relationship after meeting him in August 2020.
The 18-year-old told how she initially believed Brandon was a ‘good guy’ but his abusive and controlling behaviour began within days as he tracked her every move via her Snapchat location, hounded her with constant phone calls and began isolating her from her family.
Three weeks into their relationship, Brandon raped Roni for the first time - taking her virginity in the process. Over the next six months, the abuser subjected her to repeated beatings, took her mobile phone, pressured her to get pregnant and would threaten to kill himself if she tried to leave him.
Roni, who was 16 at the start of the relationship, was living with Brandon and told how she worried that no one would believe her if she disclosed what was happening. After suffering a miscarriage, the brave teenager made a secret Facebook account to send a message to her mum, prompting her family to take action to get her to safety in February 2021.
Brandon MacLean was jailed for five-and-a-half years after being found guilty of raping Roni and another woman at the High Court in Edinburgh on Monday.
Roni, from Kirkcaldy, Fife, said: “We were just 19 days into our relationship when he raped me. I lost my virginity that day. Then he was constantly watching me and if I tried to leave he would threaten to kill himself. I felt completely trapped.
"My friends at the time were all good friends with him, so I felt like I couldn’t tell them what was happening because they wouldn’t have believed me.
"My family obviously knew something was wrong, but I kept it to myself. Then he started keeping me away from them. He messaged them telling them I didn’t want to speak to them and that they were going to end up losing their daughter if they contacted me.
"It put me in a situation where I felt completely alone but that’s exactly what he wanted. But in February 2021 I had a miscarriage and I made a secret Facebook account to message my mum.
"That’s when we ended up planning for me to leave him. My grandparents came round to the house when he was there and refused to leave until I went with them."
Roni was taken straight to hospital to be checked over following her miscarriage before her mum then took her to the police station to report her abuse at the hands of MacLean.
Roni added: "That was the point when my mum realised exactly what had been happening to me. She got really upset. I had never seen her cry before. Brandon has hurt my entire family as well and that has really broken me."
Due to her limited relationship experience, Roni admits that she naively thought her evil ex-partner’s behaviour was ‘normal’ and has now urged other young people to recognise the signs of abuse.
She said: "Brandon was my first proper relationship. I thought it was normal behaviour at the time, but it wasn’t normal - it was far from it. I was naive and completely blinded to it.
"He stole my childhood and I can't get it back, but if this is happening to you then remember, you didn’t ask for this and you don’t deserve it. You need to find a way out. If I hadn’t, I’d probably be dead."
Roni, who is now expecting a new baby with partner Jordan Johnston, 24, added: "Look what I have achieved with Brandon. He’s now in jail for what he did. If I did it, others can do it too.
"You will be believed if you speak out and you will be okay. It is scary and it won’t be easy, but life does get better. If I hadn’t got out, I wouldn’t have met Jordan or be having this baby. You’ve got the strength to do it, even if it doesn’t feel like it right now.”
Police Scotland's Detective Constable Sean Wesson said: “MacLean will now rightly face the consequences of his despicable actions in prison. The fact that he has been convicted and sentenced is down to the bravery of his victims in coming forward to police and reporting it.
“They have shown great courage during our investigation and by giving their evidence in court. My thoughts remain with them at this time and I sincerely hope that today’s sentencing will bring them some comfort and allow them to move forward.
“These types of crimes will not be tolerated and we remain committed to supporting victims of crime. We will thoroughly investigate those responsible, no matter how much time has passed.
“I would urge people to come forward and report it. You can be assured of being fully supported by officers and our partner agencies.”
If you need help and support, you can contact Scotland's Domestic Abuse and Forced Marriage Helpline by clicking here.
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