Controlling boyfriend handcuffed himself to girlfriend at night

John McLaughlin placed a CCTV camera in the living room of his Wigan home so he could monitor the movements of his girlfriend Devon Brown. Photo / Supplied

A controlling boyfriend handcuffed himself to his girlfriend at night to make sure she wasn't being unfaithful.

John McLaughlin also sniffed Devon Brown's underwear at the end of the day to check she wasn't having sex with colleagues at work.

And he quit his job just to sit outside her place of work for eight hours a day to watch her.

The paranoid 32-year-old installed a CCTV camera in their shared home, planted booby traps and tracked Devon's driving after hacking her blackbox, Mirror Online reports.

Devon, 26, from Wigan, Greater Manchester, bought her boyfriend handcuffs for Valentine's Day to 'spice up' their relationship.

But he used them to bind himself to her in what she described as "mental torture" that led to her having a "breakdown".

McLaughlin's behaviour was uncovered when police attended the home to deal with a domestic violence incident.

After meeting in June last year when engineer McLaughlin wanted to rent a house through letting agent Devon, they began dating on Halloween 2017.

But as soon as they moved in at the start of this year, the mother of one says his insecurities started to strain the relationship.

He began by accusing Devon of having an affair with their "married and middle-paged neighbour" who "was in no way flirty".

Believing his girlfriend was sneaking out in the middle of the night, McLaughlin jammed paper in the top of doors to monitor whether or not they had been opened.

Then he left his phone recording overnight. It was Devon who bought the CCTV camera in a bid to prove she had nothing to hide.

McLaughlin's behaviour was uncovered when police attended the home to deal with a domestic violence incident. Photo / Supplied

But it backfired when her boyfriend set the camera up to film inside their living room and poured over footage for hours at a time.

Any perceived glitch in the recording resulted in accusations that Devon has stopped it in order to have sex with the neighbour in question.

She was even required to send a selfie if she visited her mother or sister to prove that's where she was.

He accused of affairs with her best friend's fiance, their friends, neighbours, factory workers down the road and his own father.

Eventually McLaughlin ditched his job in favour of monitoring his girlfriend's movements full-time instead.

Not only would he wait for her outside work each day, but he would ban her from taking her phone into another room and would wait outside the toilet for her, telling her: "You're mine and only mine."

Devon ended the relationship in May - and he responded by hitting her over the head with a can and shoving her.

McLaughlin faced magistrates in July and pleaded guilty to assaulting Devon and engaging in controlling or coercive behaviour between January 1 and June 9.

He is due to appear for sentencing at Bolton Crown Court at the end of October.

Devon has started a new relationship and wants other women and men to be aware that abuse isn't just restricted to physical assault.

Where to get help:

• If it's an emergency and you feel that you or someone else is at risk, call 111.
• If you've ever experienced sexual assault or abuse and need to talk to someone call the confidential crisis helpline Safe to Talk on: 0800 044 334 or text 4334.
• Alternatively contact your local police station
• If you have been abused, remember it's not your fault.