‘He stalked me, but I was the one arrested’

He Stalked Me, But I Was the One Arrested

The Unexpected Arrest

In December 2020, Jodie Morrow, after concluding an early shift at her café, found herself receiving multiple unanswered calls from the police. She recognized this would relate to Ezra Garfield, the individual she had reported to the police for persistently messaging her on social media following a brief relationship. Three months prior, as an Ulster University student, she had expressed worries about Garfield, yet police had not acted on her reports. However, an hour later, Jodie found herself in the back of a police car, tearfully preparing for a trip to custody due to false claims that she had been the one harassing him.

The Relationship and the Shift

In March 2020, a 19-year-old student was studying in Belfast when she matched with Garfield, who at the time was known as Riagain Grainger, on a popular dating app. A few months later, the pair went on a handful of “lovely, wholesome” dates. “Initially, everything seemed normal… He appeared genuinely charming at first,” she recounted in an interview with BBC Radio Ulster’s Good Morning Ulster programme. “He never had a single red flag at all.” But Jodie felt “the spark wasn’t there” and was planning to gently end the relationship.

The Harassment Escalates

After she told him she no longer wanted to see him, he abruptly changed his behavior. Jodie was then bombarded with missed calls and messages from two numbers she believed were Garfield’s parents, though she suspected he was orchestrating the entire campaign. In September 2020, she reported the harassment to the police. The messages continued, and she was included in Instagram group chats by individuals claiming to be his acquaintances. “I got sent a picture of him with what I was told was my name carved into his chest,” she said. “You don’t know how to process that at all, it was all a blur.” She kept hoping that persistent police contact would halt the abuse.

Police Actions and the Revelation

Jodie made further police statements and lodged a complaint with Ulster University, where Garfield had enrolled after meeting her. In December 2020, Garfield also went to the police, claiming that Jodie was the one harassing him. He had fabricated phone calls and threatening Instagram messages from her, but refused to hand over his phone for inspection. “It wasn’t until they put me in the car and were explaining to me my rights that I realized I was getting arrested,” she reflected. “I was just so frustrated… I just can’t believe they’re taking his word on this.” Garfield had yet to be arrested, but Jodie had been searched, fingerprinted, and placed in a cell, though she was eventually released on bail. Her phone was seized for three months until tests confirmed Garfield had generated the calls using an app.

The Trial and Aftermath

In February 2022, Garfield—now known as Ezra Garfield—was jailed for two-and-a-half years after pleading guilty to stalking involving serious alarm and distress. The court heard he had targeted a 21-year-old woman in 2019, following their studies together in Manchester. Jodie then had to wait for her case to be heard, and in February of this year, she stood in court as the 25-year-old was sentenced to 19 months in prison, with an additional 19 months on supervised licence.

Reflections on the Police Process

“It wasn’t until they put me in the car and were explaining to me my rights that I realized I was getting arrested,” she said.

Garfield had intended to portray himself as a victim, making the real victim appear like an offender, Assistant Chief Constable Ryan Henderson noted. He emphasized that officers had acted in good faith, relying on the information available at the time. “Throughout this case, investigators worked with a number of police services across the UK to locate Garfield and bring him to justice before court,” he added. Following a review, Jodie has agreed to collaborate with the PSNI to refine their systems and practices. She also expressed disappointment with Ulster University for how they handled her complaint. “In the end he got a slap on the wrist,” she said. “He got banned from campus at a time when ever”