‘He stalked me, but I was the one arrested’
He Stalked Me, But I Was the One Arrested
In December 2020, Jodie Morrow found herself in an unexpected predicament. After finishing an early shift at her café job, she noticed multiple missed calls from the police. Her mind raced to the man she had told authorities was harassing her through social media messages following a brief relationship. For three months prior, the Ulster University student had voiced concerns about Ezra Garfield, but her repeated attempts to alert the police went unanswered. Then, just an hour later, she was seated in a police car, tearfully preparing for the journey to custody, having been arrested on false claims that she was the aggressor.
A Relationship That Turned Sour
Jodie met Garfield, then known as Riagain Grainger, in Belfast during March 2020 through a popular dating app. A few months later, they shared a few “lovely, wholesome” dates. “It was very normal initially… He seemed absolutely lovely at the start,” she told BBC Radio Ulster’s Good Morning Ulster programme. “He never had a single red flag at all.” However, Jodie felt the connection was lacking and decided to end the relationship gently. When she told him she no longer wanted to see him, he abruptly changed his behavior.
Harassment and the Police Response
From that point, Jodie was flooded with missed calls and messages from two numbers that appeared to be Garfield’s parents. She suspected he was orchestrating the attacks. In September 2020, she reported the harassment to the police. The messages persisted, with strangers adding her to Instagram group chats and sending a photo of Garfield with her name carved into his chest. “You don’t know how to process that at all… It was all a blur,” she said. Despite her efforts, she kept hoping the police would intervene.
Garfield eventually claimed the opposite—asserting that Jodie was the one harassing him. He fabricated phone calls and threatening messages, yet refused to hand over his phone for police examination. It wasn’t until she was placed in the car and briefed on her rights that she fully grasped the situation. “I was just so frustrated… I can’t believe they’re taking his word on this,” she reflected.
The Outcome and Acknowledgment of Flaws
Garfield was finally jailed in February 2022, after pleading guilty to stalking and perverting the course of justice. The court learned he had targeted a 21-year-old woman in 2019 while they studied together in Manchester. Jodie’s case was heard later that year, resulting in a 19-month prison sentence for Garfield, with an additional 19 months of supervised licence. Meanwhile, the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) admitted to “shortcomings” in how her case was managed.
Assistant Chief Constable Ryan Henderson described the investigation as “complex” and noted that officers acted “in good faith” based on the information available. He emphasized that Garfield had “intended to portray himself as a victim to make the real victim look like an offender.” The PSNI has since agreed to work with Jodie to refine their systems and practices. She also expressed disappointment with Ulster University, which had received her complaint about Garfield’s behavior but failed to take decisive action.
