Ballymena woman Samantha Brown, the mother of Cahoon's 10 years-old daughter Aimee, revealed how he battered her while she was pregnant and tried to strangle her with cord from a dressing gown after she'd given birth.

Ms Brown, who was in a relationship with Cahoon for two years, said she felt sick when she heard cops wanted to question him and branded him as a "psychopath who will never change".

The 32 year-old also said she was surprised Cahoon was in a relationship with Jean Quigley, a Catholic, because he was an "out and and out bigot."

"I'm lucky he didn't kill me. He's a maniac," she said.

Ten years ago, Samantha Brown suffered a series of vicious attacks at the hands of Cahoon when she became pregnant with his child.

He beat her when their daughter Aimee was born jaundiced, blaming her for the child's condition and launched a vicious attack on her as she breastfed their daughter.

The final straw came when he tried to strangle her with the rope from a dressing gown.

"He nearly killed me that time and I knew I had to get out before I ended up dead," she said. "When we first got together he was so charming, all my friends thought he was wonderful. But he started beating me when I was pregnant and it just got worse. I could tell by his eyes when he was going to start. He had the most evil eyes."

Samantha Brown said she was surprised to hear Cahoon was in a relationship with Ms Quigley.

"When I had Aimee he told me I wasn't allowed to go and visit my Catholic friends. He used to say, and these are his words not mine, there was no way I was taking her into a fenian's house. My heart goes out to that poor girl Jean. God love those wee wains."

During the couple's two year relationship, Cahoon also viciously attacked an 18 years-old woman as she walked home after a night out in Ballymena.

While Samantha lay in bed, Cahoon sneaked out of their home and beat teenager Lynne McGall so badly that even her own family didn't recognise her.

Lynne McGall was unable to remember anything from the attack, however police were led to Cahoon when his DNA was found on a piece of chewing gum discovered by a nurse on Lynne McGall's hair.

Cahoon received a three year prison sentence for the attack on the two women. However, after a high profile campaign by the Sunday Life newspaper, the Attorney General launched an appeal, which led to Cahoon's sentence being increased to five years and three months.

Left for dead

"He could easily have killed me or Lynne. He left Lynne for dead and he didn't even know her," said Samantha. "He's a monster and he'll never change. I said at the time, when he only got five years, that he should have got far longer. I believe he should have got a life sentence for what he did to me and Lynne."

Ten years on Samantha has never fully recovered from the attack and is still on anti-depressants.

"He's a maniac and I've said for years that people like him don't change.