SENTENCING STATEMENTS

On sentencing, Lord Harrower made the following remarks in court:

"Connor McManus, by the unanimous verdict of the jury, you have been found guilty of nine charges involving three women with each of whom you were in a relationship at different times between 2013 and 2021.  Specifically, you were convicted of charges of: assault against complainer A between 2013 and 2017; assault, rape and sexual assault of complainer B between 2019 and 2020; and assault, rape and sexual assault of complainer C between July and October 2021.  You were also convicted of charges involving threatening or abusive behaviour towards each woman, contrary to s38 of the Criminal Justice and Licensing (Scotland) Act 2010 and s1 of the Domestic Abuse (Scotland) Act 2018.  The fact that your offending involved the abuse of your (then) partner is expressly libelled in many of the charges, depending on when the offending took place and the coming into force of the relevant legislation, but it is an aggravation implicit in all of the charges, and I will sentence you on that basis.

There was a pattern to your offending.  For much of the period during which it took place, you were either living with your sister, or had no accommodation of your own. You would move yourself in with the complainer, almost before she even realised she was in a relationship with you.  That relationship would then quickly become coercive and controlling.  You would humiliate the complainer with derogatory remarks, and behave in an aggressive and intimidating manner.  You would monitor her use of her phone, or even take control of the phone, using it to carry out transactions for your own benefit, and plunging her into debt.  Over time, you would alienate the complainer from her friends and family, increasing her vulnerability and dependency on you.  This must have been particularly the case given that all three women fell pregnant very early in the relationship.  The most serious charges were charge 6, which libelled the repeated vaginal, anal and oral rape of B, as well as various degrading and sadistic acts of sexual assault inflicted upon her, over a period of about a year; and charges 18 and 19, which libelled repeated acts of anal rape of C.

You are now 32 years old.  Your previous convictions include crimes of dishonesty, vandalism, threatening or abusive behaviour with a domestic aggravation, and an assault against a child of a sexual nature. The social work report acknowledges that you have had several adverse childhood experiences, and that these will have affected your mental health and your ability to cope and function as an adult.  Certainly, you would have been a relatively young man of between 20 and 24 when you offended against the first complainer.  I take that into account in my assessment of your culpability.  But for these factors, the sentence I am about to impose would have been significantly higher.  The social worker also observes that you show no remorse, which is at least consistent with your continued denial of having offended in any way.

The reporter also observes that, given the nature of your offending, your victims may never be able to recover from the abuse and trauma that you have inflicted on them.  This assessment is reflected in the victim impact statements that I have received.  The reporter concludes that you present with a maximum risk of general re-offending and a high risk of sexual re-offending.  He has recommended that any sentence of imprisonment I impose should be an extended sentence, in order to protect women from the very significant risk of serious harm from you. 

Connor McManus, had I been sentencing you separately in relation to the offences you committed against each complainer, I would have sentenced you in respect of charges 1 and 2 (complainer A) in cumulo to a term of imprisonment of 2 years; in respect of charges 6, 8 and 9 (complainer B) in cumulo, to a term of imprisonment of 7 years; and in respect of charges 16, 17, 18 and 19, (complainer C) in cumulo, to a term of imprisonment of 6 years.  I would not have attributed any part of the latter two sentences to the domestic abuse aggravations, on the basis that a constituent part of each of these cumulo sentences would already have been attributable to convictions under the Domestic Abuse (Scotland) Act. 

The sum of these figures is 15 years, which would be excessive.  I have therefore decided to impose a single in cumulo sentence in respect of all the charges against you.  In addition, I am satisfied that in order to protect the public from serious harm from you when you are released, the sentence should be an extended sentence.  The total period of that sentence will be 12 years, but it will be in two parts.  The first part, the custodial part, will be one of imprisonment for a period of 9 years. For the reasons already given, no part of that period will be attributed to the partner abuse aggravations.  The second part, known as the extension period, will be one of 3 years.  During that period, you will be subject to licence conditions to be set by or on behalf of the Scottish Ministers.  If you break the terms of your licence you will be liable to be recalled to custody to serve the remainder of your sentence.   The sentence will be backdated to 10 April 2025, when you were remanded in custody.  You will be subject to the notification provisions of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 for an indefinite period.

I will make a non-harassment order such that you may not contact, approach or communicate with the complainers, or attempt to contact, approach or communicate with the complainers, either directly or indirectly, for an indefinite period.  Your relationship with each of A and B has produced a child.  This non-harassment order is not intended to prevent any contact, approach or communication that may be necessary in order to facilitate any contact with these children to which A or B has given her consent."