Ezra Garfield, 25, from Trillick in County Tyrone, received a 19-month prison sentence after admitting to harassment and perverting the course of justice. The offences targeted Jodie Morrow, whom he dated briefly after matching on a dating app in March 2020. He must serve an additional 19 months on licence.

Judge Gordon Kerr KC at Laganside Crown Court described the actions as serious and deliberate attempts to manipulate police through false allegations. Garfield failed to attend an earlier court date, prompting a bench warrant. Sentencing occurred earlier this month.

Garfield and Morrow met for dates in Enniskillen and Belfast during summer 2020. She studied at Ulster University in Belfast. Morrow ended contact in early September 2020 upon learning he was on bail for a prior stalking case.

Garfield then enrolled at the same university and took up nearby student housing. Morrow reported him to police that September. He responded with counter-claims, including a fabricated Instagram profile in her name and allegations of threatening calls via a spoofing application. He withheld his phone from investigators.

Police arrested Morrow at her accommodation and held her in a cell for four hours ahead of a planned interview on December 19, 2020. Garfield had a previous conviction under the name Riagain Grainger. In February 2022, Manchester Crown Court sentenced him to two-and-a-half years for stalking a student from 2018 to 2019. He served 13 months before release in March 2023.

Garfield changed his name while on probation for the earlier offence. Morrow raised concerns over disjointed record-keeping between police forces that delayed recognition of his history.