A paranoid boyfriend smelt his girlfriend’s knickers and handcuffed himself to her at night to make sure she wasn’t cheating. Controlling John McLaughlin even quit his job so he could sit outside Devon Brown’s work for eight hours and monitor her every move.
And inside the house they shared he fitted a CCTV camera after becoming so convinced the mum-of-one was having an affair.
The 32-year-old also left booby traps and hacked the black box in Devon’s car to track her movements.
Police uncovered McLaughlin’s bizarre behaviour when they were called to deal with a domestic violence incident.
At first, 26-year-old Devon, from Wigan, thought McLaughlin was insecure and tried to overlook his behaviour until it spiralled out of control.
She said: “He was never violent or aggressive. He never even raised his voice. But he controlled me completely. It was mental torture and eventually I had a breakdown.
“I actually bought the handcuffs on Valentine’s Day to spice up our relationship, just as a bit of fun. “But John became so controlling and possessive that we ended up handcuffed together, lying in bed, so that he could keep a check on me.
“He gave up his job so that he could keep an eye on me. He would sit outside my work for eight hours at a time. “He even checked my underwear at the end of the day to make sure I hadn’t been having sex with my colleagues.”
The couple met in June last year while Devon was working as a letting agent and John came in to rent a house.
McLaughlin also gave up his job so that he could monitor Devon’s movements full time.
At the end of May, Devon decided to end the relationship, but John refused to accept it.
McLaughlin appeared before magistrates in July and pleaded guilty to assaulting his girlfriend and engaging in controlling or coercive behaviour between January 1 and June 9.
He will be sentenced at the end of the month at Bolton Crown Court.
Devon is now in a new relationship and wants other women and men to know that even if a partner isn’t physically assaulting them they could still be abusing them.