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Jodie Morrow’s experience with harassment and the criminal justice system spans several years and highlights significant challenges faced by victims of stalking. In December 2020, after finishing her early shift at a café, Jodie noticed missed calls from the police. These calls were related to Ezra Garfield, a man she had briefly dated and who had been persistently messaging her on social media. Over the previous three months, Jodie, a student at Ulster University, had reported Garfield’s behavior multiple times, but despite her efforts and ongoing harassment, he had not been arrested. Instead, Jodie found herself unexpectedly detained by the police based on false accusations that she was harassing Garfield.
The relationship between Jodie, then 19 and studying in Belfast, and Garfield, initially appeared normal. They met on a dating app in early 2020 and went on a few enjoyable and seemingly harmless dates. Jodie recalled that there had been no warning signs and described the early interactions as “lovely, wholesome.” However, when she decided to end things, Garfield’s behavior changed drastically. She was suddenly inundated with calls and messages from individuals pretending to be his parents, though she suspected it was all orchestrated by Garfield himself. The harassment escalated, culminating in Jodie receiving disturbing messages and even being added to Instagram group chats with supposed friends of Garfield’s.
Despite reporting the abuse to police in September 2020 and submitting complaints to her university, the harassment continued. In December, Garfield accused Jodie of stalking him, presenting fabricated phone calls and threatening Instagram messages as evidence, yet he refused to surrender his phone to authorities. This led to Jodie being arrested, searched, fingerprinted, and detained, while Garfield remained free. Her phone was held for three months before forensic tests revealed Garfield had used an app to generate fake calls and messages to frame her. Eventually, in February 2022, Garfield was convicted and sentenced to two-and-a-half years in prison for stalking a different woman in Manchester. Later, he was also jailed for 19 months in connection with Jodie’s case.
Police have acknowledged mistakes in how Jodie’s case was managed. Assistant Chief Constable Ryan Henderson described the investigation as “complex” and noted that officers acted “in good faith” based on available information at the time. Still, they recognized Garfield’s attempt to manipulate the situation, making the genuine victim appear as the offender. Following a review, Jodie and the Police Service of Northern Ireland agreed to work together to improve handling of similar cases in the future. However, Jodie expressed disappointment with the response from Ulster University, where Garfield was a student. She mentioned that the university’s disciplinary actions were minimal, with Garfield banned from campus during a period when most activities were conducted online. A university spokesperson emphasized their commitment to safety, stating, “Harassment and stalking are not tolerated, we take seriously our safeguarding responsibilities and we are fully committed to treating all complaints sensitively and seriously.”
Reflecting on her ordeal, Jodie shared how the experience has left a lasting impact on her sense of security and well-being. She described the entire situation as “deliberately disorienting” and said it often made her feel isolated. “No one should ever feel like they’re the problem for being wrapped up in something like this, because of someone else,” she said. The emotional toll was compounded not only by the harassment itself but also by the police procedures and institutional responses that failed to protect her adequately. Jodie’s story sheds light on the need for more sensitive and effective support for victims of stalking and harassment
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