A look at troubled history of Darlington thug ‘Chop Off’

Shaun O’Connor is no stranger to the court system and his latest spree of offending resulted in him being branded a dangerous offender as he was jailed for four years with a further three on extended licence.

The notorious offender, who is well known throughout the town, left his mother fearing for her life after he choked her with a towel after he flew into a violent rage in her home.

However, it’s not the first time he has landed himself in court for harassing his mother.

In 2015, he was spared jail after he had repeatedly shown up to her Darlington home on July 13 and shouted for her to let him in.

When he refused to leave, O’Connor got some thick tape and said he was going to kill himself before approaching his mother and wrapping it around her head, nose and mouth.

Shaun O’Connor (Image: Durham Constabulary)

O’Connor was sentenced to a community order with rehabilitation at Newton Aycliffe Magistrates’ Court. He was also fined £295 and a restraining order was granted banning him for visiting his mother’s home for three months.

But then in September 2022, O’Connor’s mental health was again causing him difficulty and his erratic behaviour culminated in his arrest.

On this occasion, he sexually assaulted two women, exposed himself to another, assaulted an innocent man and carried out a sickening sex act in a police station cell after his arrest.

Teesside Crown Court heard how he grabbed a woman in the post office on Coleridge Gardens, Darlington, before gyrating in a sexual manner against her and making lewd remarks.

He then grabbed hold of the same woman again when she was outside after he had been asked to leave by staff before he dropped his shorts and exposed himself to another woman shortly after the assault in the post office.

O’Connor was arrested and taken to Darlington Police Station where he performed the sex act in front of a custody officer.

He was jailed for two years for all offences in March 2023.

The troubled drug addict who suffers from mental health problems was arrested again in May last year for the violent attack on his mother.

The 43-year-old launched the sustained attack on his mother after he flooded her bathroom and shouted, he was going to “kill her” when she called the police.

O’Connor, whose address was given as HMP Holme House, pleaded guilty to attempting to inflict grievous bodily harm, intentional strangulation and two charges of criminal damage.

He also admitted breaching his criminal behaviour order when he was spotted talking to children through the fence at Stephenson Way Primary School in Newton Aycliffe on May 2 last year.

Paul Rooney, mitigating, said client’s mental health had improved significantly during his time on remand and psychiatric reports concluded that he did not require a hospital order.

Judge Peter Armstrong branded the defendant a dangerous offender as he passed a seven-year extended prison sentence.

He was also made subject to an indefinite restraining order to protect his mother.