Connor Pennell: Wigan man caught raping partner on baby monitor during campaign of violent abuse jailed

Connor Pennell, 27, of Vines Cross Way, Skelmersdale, was sentenced on Tuesday (March 25) at Bolton Crown Court to nine and a half years in prison after being found guilty of rape, controlling and coercive behaviour, non-fatal strangulation, breaching a restraining order, and three counts of voyeurism.

He has been placed on the Sex Offenders Register and handed an indefinite restraining order to protect the victim. Pennell was convicted after detectives uncovered footage saved on his phone from a baby camera monitor, showing the rape of a woman who had been trapped in a controlling relationship with him.

The abuse came to light in July 2024, when officers were alerted in Wigan after the victim came forward. He had already been charged with battery and strangulation and was under a protection from harassment order, which he repeatedly breached in the following weeks and months.

“Connor made me re-live it all, sitting in this court, surrounded by strangers watching videos of myself in an extremely personal state that haunts me,” the victim said in her impact statement. “He stripped pretty much every aspect of my life away and has changed the course of my future. I’m not the same person I was.”

Pennell used intimidation, including threats to release intimate images, to silence the victim about his ongoing abuse. Despite her ending the relationship and withdrawing consent, he continued to be violent and abusive in person and via text.

After his arrest, Pennell denied wrongdoing and told officers that his phone would prove his innocence. But the evidence revealed the opposite -deliberate attempts to record the offences, including rape, using the baby monitor. The victim had no idea she was being filmed.

At one point, she said she thought she would die after Pennell strangled her, prompting her to finally report the abuse out of fear for her life.

“It’s a long road to recovery because once the abuse stops it doesn’t mean it’s over,” she said. “Survivors always say the bruises disappear but the mental aspect of it takes much longer... Connor is a danger to women and children, and I pray that today’s sentencing reflects how powerful it is what one man’s damage can cause.”

Detective Constable Amy Stewart, from Greater Manchester Police’s Wigan district, said: “Pennell had a complete disregard for women and is an extremely dangerous individual.” “The bravery of the victim in coming forward... will hopefully help her as she tries to rebuild her life after what was a horrific time for her.” “His misogynistic attitude towards women was clear for all to see in the end once we uncovered the shocking and disturbing evidence.”

DC Stewart urged anyone experiencing coercive or abusive relationships to seek help. He said: “No life should be overshadowed by those who are intent on causing unnecessary and traumatic abuse.”