‘He stalked me, but I was the one arrested’
He Stalked Me, But I Was the One Arrested
The Harassment Begins
In March 2020, Jodie Morrow met Ezra Garfield, then known as Riagain Grainger, on a dating app while studying in Belfast. The relationship seemed ordinary at first, with a few “lovely, wholesome” dates. “He seemed absolutely lovely at the start,” she recounted to BBC Radio Ulster’s Good Morning Ulster programme. “There were no red flags at all.”
However, Jodie felt the spark was missing and planned to break things off gently. When she told Garfield she no longer wanted to see him, his behavior shifted dramatically. She soon received relentless messages and calls from two numbers she believed to be his parents, but she was certain he was orchestrating the harassment.
A Turning Point in the Case
By September 2020, Jodie had reported the incidents to the police. The messages persisted, even as she was added to Instagram group chats by people claiming to be his friends. “I got sent a picture of him with my name carved into his chest,” she said. “It was all a blur. You don’t know how to process that at all.”
“I kept thinking if I keep going to the police… It’ll stop.”
Despite her repeated attempts to alert authorities, Garfield was not arrested. In December 2020, he turned the tables by accusing Jodie of harassment. He alleged she had sent fake calls and threatening Instagram messages, but refused to hand over his phone for evidence. “It wasn’t until they put me in the car and explained my rights that I realized I was being arrested,” Jodie said. “I was just so frustrated… I can’t believe they’re taking his word on this.”
The Aftermath and Justice Served
Jodie was fingerprinted, searched, and held in a cell before being released on bail. Her phone was seized for three months until forensic tests confirmed Garfield had generated the calls using an app. In February 2022, Garfield, still under his previous name, pleaded guilty to stalking and perverting the course of justice. He received a two-and-a-half-year sentence. Jodie’s case was finally addressed in February of this year, when the 25-year-old was jailed for 19 months, with an additional 19 months of supervised licence.
The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) acknowledged “shortcomings” in the case’s handling. Assistant Chief Constable Ryan Henderson described the investigation as “complex” but noted officers acted “in good faith” based on available information. “It became clear that Garfield intended to frame himself as a victim to make the real victim look like an offender,” Henderson explained. “Investigators worked with multiple UK police services to locate him and secure justice.”
Jodie expressed disappointment with Ulster University, which had received her complaint about Garfield’s harassment. “He got banned from campus at a time when everything was already falling apart,” she said. While the university’s response was insufficient, Jodie agreed to collaborate with the PSNI to refine their processes. “This ordeal made me question how the system works,” she reflected.
