A RAPE victim told how she agreed to marry the “absolute monster” — after he sexually assaulted her.
Caroline Lyons, 42, admitted she did not know how to say no when domineering Steven Noon insisted they fly to Thailand together and tie the knot.
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But she later bravely united with two other victims and gave evidence against the brute, also 42, who was caged for 16½ years for a string of horror attacks spanning two decades.
Now she has waived her right to anonymity to speak about her ordeal — two years after he was nailed at the High Court in Edinburgh.
Caroline, of Haddington, East Lothian, told The Scottish Sun on Sunday: “I married a rapist, a serial attacker, an absolute monster. He had been my childhood sweetheart.
“ I thought it was a fairytale but it turned into a nightmare.
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“He raped me before my marriage. I didn’t want to marry him.
“But he controlled me so deeply I couldn’t find a way to say no.
“While he was planning our wedding day, I was planning my escape.
When I discovered that he had attacked other women we joined together to get justice.
“He’s now behind bars and they should lock the door and throw away the key.”
Caroline and Noon first dated as 16-year-olds at the same school.
They drifted apart but years later she was thrilled to stumble upon his Facebook profile after her previous marriage ended in 2015.
The mum of four recalled: “I was delighted when I found him online.
“I’d often wondered what happened to him.
“We arranged to meet up and as soon as I saw him it felt as though no time had passed, it felt so right.
“He was really funny and would make me laugh.
“He was charming, always complimenting me, he’d open doors for me and treated me respectfully, just like when we were kids.
“The electricity was still there.”
How you can get help
Women’s Aid has this advice for victims and their families:
- Always keep your phone nearby.
- Get in touch with charities for help, including the Women’s Aid live chat helpline and services such as SupportLine.
- If you are in danger, call 999.
- Familiarise yourself with the Silent Solution, reporting abuse without speaking down the phone, instead dialing “55”.
- Always keep some money on you, including change for a pay phone or bus fare.
- If you suspect your partner is about to attack you, try to go to a lower-risk area of the house – for example, where there is a way out and access to a telephone.
- Avoid the kitchen and garage, where there are likely to be knives or other weapons. Avoid rooms where you might become trapped, such as the bathroom, or where you might be shut into a cupboard or other small space.
If you are a victim of domestic abuse, SupportLine is open Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 6pm to 8pm on 01708 765200.
The charity’s email support service is open weekdays and weekends during the crisis – [email protected].
Women’s Aid provides a live chat service – available weekdays from 8am-6pm and weekends 10am-6pm.
You can also call the freephone 24-hour National Domestic Abuse Helpline on 0808 2000 247.
Within two months, window cleaner Noon had moved in.
But he began constantly pressuring Caroline to have sex.
Another red flag came when she received a message from a woman who urged her to flee Noon as he had raped and assaulted her.
Initially Caroline refused to believe her claims.
But she recalled: “One night when I declined his advances, Steven coerced me into having sex.
“He went on and on, asking me for sex. He ground me down. I gave in just to make him stop.
“I felt a deep unease afterwards that it was wrong.”
“He controlled me so deeply I couldn’t find a way to say no.”
On another night, after taking sleeping medication, she woke in horror to find Noon violating her.
She pushed him off, then demanded he leave the next day.
But Noon begged to be taken back. Customer services adviser Caroline admitted: “He swore he would change.
“I wasn’t even sure I loved him. I just didn’t know how to say no.
“I was so emotionally tied to him, like I was under some kind of spell. I felt I was in the middle of a nightmare I couldn’t wake up from.”
“What I endured was the darkest chapter of my life.”
Once back together he insisted they marry. Caroline revealed: “We had a fairytale wedding and honeymoon in Thailand.”
But Noon’s sexual demands resumed on their return home and she finally found the strength to tell him to leave for good.
Weeks later, while out shopping, she bumped into a third victim who revealed Noon had assaulted her.
Caroline got back in touch with the woman who had previously reached out, as the trio set out to get justice.
She said: “I apologised for not believing her.
“I knew what the other women were telling me was the truth as he’d done the same to me.
“I was so emotionally tied to him, like I was under some kind of spell. I felt I was in the middle of a nightmare I couldn’t wake up from.”
“I couldn’t live with myself knowing he’d move on and do the same to another woman.
“I picked up the phone and told the police everything and so did the other two women.”
Cops then launched a probe. And Noon was nailed for 16 offences between 1999 and 2021, including rape, sexual assault, assault to danger of life and abusive behaviour, at a trial in December 2022.
“I couldn’t live with myself knowing he’d move on and do the same to another woman.”
Explaining why she had decided to tell of her trauma now, Caroline said: “What I endured was the darkest chapter of my life.
“But I’m sharing my story to remind others. If a man violates your boundaries or coerces you into something you don’t want to do, that’s a crime.
“I’d like to thank the other victims for coming forward.
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“After his sentencing we contacted each other and said, ‘we got him’.
“It’s never too late to seek justice.”
