A mum told jurors she should have killed the man accused of raping her and attempting to rape her six-month-old daughter yesterday.
The woman, who can not be named for legal reasons, said she was “ashamed” she had not done more to protect her child from Duncan Begg, but told a court she was doing everything she could to do so now.
The 46-year-old is accused of 43 charges, including 10 rapes against three women and the attempted rape of a baby.
He is also accused of trying to “cook” another child by placing him over a lit cooker hob and under a grill, as well as killing a kitten.
Begg, of 14 Crauchan Place, Portree, Skye, denies all the offences, which allegedly took place in Caithness between January 1984 and January 2010. He has lodged a special defence claiming all the sexual contact between himself and the women was consensual.
Yesterday the woman – who alleges she was beaten, raped and sexually assaulted by Begg on numerous occasions – broke down in tears as she told the jury at the High Court in Aberdeen she had stood and watched helplessly as Begg molested her baby.
She said she also saw him trying to have sex with the baby, and that when she tried to stop him and asked him to hurt her instead, Begg refused.
When asked by defence counsel Brian McConnachie QC why she had not reported Begg at the time, or why she had not tried harder to stop him harming the child, the woman said: “I am ashamed. I know I am a terrible mother, I don’t need you to rub it in.
“I feel disgusted that I did not look after my bairn properly when I should have just killed him at the time to get him out the road.”
Mr McConnachie told the woman she was a liar and said her claims about Begg trying to rape her child were “preposterous”.
But she replied: “I am not lying . I came here to tell the truth. I did not protect her the first time round but I will protect them this time round.”
The trial, in front of Judge Morris, will continue on Monday.
