CONNOR MCCONNELL FROM CORNWALL SENTENCED IN TRURO FOR VIOLENT STREET ATTACK

A father from Cornwall, Connor McConnell, aged 32, will remain in custody after being sentenced for assault following an incident outside his home in Bodmin. The assault involved him putting the mother of his child into a headlock in the street. McConnell appeared at Truro Crown Court on April 30 to be sentenced after pleading guilty to one count of actual bodily harm (ABH). He had previously denied charges of intentional strangulation, but the Crown Prosecution Service accepted his guilty plea to the lesser charge of ABH.

The court heard that the incident occurred in November after the school run. McConnell's victim, with whom he has a child, was involved in a verbal dispute that turned physical. The judge was told that McConnell, formerly residing on Royffe Way in Bodmin, initially placed their baby on the ground before approaching his partner following a stressful school drop-off where she forgot two backpacks for her older children.

The altercation escalated on their journey home. During the incident, the victim sustained visible injuries to her neck. Prosecutor Ramsay Quaife explained that at the time, the couple was managing the school run and caring for their eight-month-old daughter. After leaving her sons’ school bags at home, McConnell drove to the school to deliver them and then took her home. As she entered the car, he reportedly began shouting at her.

Mr. Quaife said: “[The victim] started feeling very uncomfortable, so uncomfortable that she undid her seatbelt in the hopes she could escape.” When they arrived home, both got out of the car. McConnell then placed the baby on the floor and, following a verbal exchange, put the victim into a “chokehold.”

McConnell claimed that his actions were motivated by concerns that the victim was experiencing a mental breakdown. He later picked up the baby and drove to his own mother’s address for the child's care. He handed himself into police the following evening, stating during an interview that he believed she was having a mental health episode and intended only to give her a “bear hug” rather than harm her.

The court verified that the victim sustained visible neck injuries. Importantly, there was no prior history of domestic violence or similar offending by McConnell.

In mitigation, McConnell acknowledged the CCTV footage of the incident, which he accepted. It was also noted that the victim and McConnell exchanged verbal abuse, but there was no physical violence from her.

Judge Simon Carr described the attack, saying: “The incident itself is caught graphically on CCTV. What was a verbal argument where you were some distance apart, there was no need for that distance to shorten, you ran over and attacked the victim, putting her in a headlock.” He pointed out that the attack lasted for a “considerable period of time,” referencing cases where such actions have led to fatalities by compromising airway control.

McConnell was sentenced to ten months in prison. He has already served five months and 12 days on remand and will get a discount for his guilty plea. Additionally, a restraining order was issued, barring him from contacting the victim or entering her residential area.