He stalked me, but I was the one arrested

Jodie Morrow found herself in a police car, facing custody after being accused of harassing Ezra Garfield in December 2020. The 19-year-old had just finished an early shift at her café job when she noticed missed calls from law enforcement. She knew the calls were tied to Garfield, the man she had reported for relentless social media messages following a brief relationship. For three months prior, the Ulster University student had raised concerns about him, but her efforts to involve the police had gone unacknowledged.

Garfield, then known as Riagain Grainger, had met Jodie in Belfast in March 2020. Their relationship began on a dating app, and the pair shared a few “lovely, wholesome” dates. “He seemed absolutely lovely at the start,” Jodie recounted to BBC Radio Ulster’s Good Morning Ulster programme. “There were no red flags at all.” However, she felt the connection was fading and planned to end things gently. When she told him she no longer wanted to see him, he abruptly changed his behavior, launching a campaign of harassment.

“I got sent a picture of him with what I was told was my name carved into his chest,” she added. “You don’t know how to process that at all—it was all a blur.”

By September 2020, Jodie had reported the incidents to the police, but the harassment persisted. She was added to Instagram group chats by people claiming to be his friends, and messages from two numbers—purporting to be Garfield’s parents—flooded her phone. Despite her repeated appeals, the police seemed unconvinced. Then, in December, Garfield turned the narrative, accusing her of harassment. He fabricated phone calls and threatening messages, refusing to hand over his device for investigation.

It wasn’t until Jodie was placed in a police car, informed of her rights, and tearfully realizing her arrest that the full extent of the injustice hit her. “I was just so frustrated… I can’t believe they’re taking his word on this,” she said. Over three months, her phone was seized, and she endured fingerprinting, cell time, and bail. Meanwhile, Garfield evaded accountability. In February 2022, he pleaded guilty to stalking and perverting justice, receiving a two-and-a-half-year sentence under his former name.

Months later, Jodie’s case came to light. In February of this year, the 25-year-old was sentenced to 19 months in prison, with an additional 19 months on supervised licence. “The harassment was distressing,” she said, “but the police process made my ordeal worse.” Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) Assistant Chief Constable Ryan Henderson acknowledged the investigation’s complexity. “Officers acted in good faith, relying on the information they had at the time,” he stated. “Garfield intended to frame himself as a victim, making the real victim appear guilty.”

Following a review, Jodie has agreed to collaborate with the PSNI to refine their systems. She also expressed disappointment with Ulster University, which had enrolled Garfield after their meeting. “In the end, he got a slap on the wrist,” she noted. “He was banned from campus when I was already in the system.”