diff --git a/Misc/NEWS.d/next/Security/2021-05-02-17-50-23.bpo-43434.cy7xz6.rst b/Misc/NEWS.d/next/Security/2021-05-02-17-50-23.bpo-43434.cy7xz6.rst
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000000..28b7fc53853405
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Misc/NEWS.d/next/Security/2021-05-02-17-50-23.bpo-43434.cy7xz6.rst
@@ -0,0 +1,4 @@
+Creating a :class:`sqlite3.Connection` object now also produces
+a ``sqlite3.connect`` :ref:`auditing event <auditing>`.
+Previously this event was only produced by :func:`sqlite3.connect`
+calls. Patch by Erlend E. Aasland.
diff --git a/Modules/_sqlite/connection.c b/Modules/_sqlite/connection.c
index d20339ca3f7dfd..df4e9466b4bc51 100644
--- a/Modules/_sqlite/connection.c
+++ b/Modules/_sqlite/connection.c
@@ -96,6 +96,10 @@ int pysqlite_connection_init(pysqlite_Connection* self, PyObject* args, PyObject
         return -1;
     }
 
+    if (PySys_Audit("sqlite3.connect", "O", database_obj) < 0) {
+        return -1;
+    }
+
     database = PyBytes_AsString(database_obj);
 
     self->initialized = 1;
diff --git a/Modules/_sqlite/module.c b/Modules/_sqlite/module.c
index 71d951ee887e47..44811835d42fca 100644
--- a/Modules/_sqlite/module.c
+++ b/Modules/_sqlite/module.c
@@ -71,8 +71,6 @@ static PyObject* module_connect(PyObject* self, PyObject* args, PyObject*
     int uri = 0;
     double timeout = 5.0;
 
-    PyObject* result;
-
     if (!PyArg_ParseTupleAndKeywords(args, kwargs, "O|diOiOip", kwlist,
                                      &database, &timeout, &detect_types,
                                      &isolation_level, &check_same_thread,
@@ -85,13 +83,7 @@ static PyObject* module_connect(PyObject* self, PyObject* args, PyObject*
         factory = (PyObject*)&pysqlite_ConnectionType;
     }
 
-    if (PySys_Audit("sqlite3.connect", "O", database) < 0) {
-        return NULL;
-    }
-
-    result = PyObject_Call(factory, args, kwargs);
-
-    return result;
+    return PyObject_Call(factory, args, kwargs);
 }
 
 PyDoc_STRVAR(module_connect_doc,