Wisbech stalker threatened to cut ex's throat

31 May 2019, 12:15 | Updated: 31 May 2019, 12:17

A man from Wisbech, who stalked and terrorised his ex-girlfriend, threatening to kill her, has been jailed.

Riki McGrath, 29, began the campaign of harassment shortly after the five-and-a-half month relationship had ended in March this year.

The court heard:

• On 15 March he called her 39 times in the space of two hours

• On 20 March he called her and threatened to slit the throats of his ex-partner and that of her friend’s

• On 27 March he left two voice messages threatening to run his ex-partner over as she walked to college

• On 31 March he sent three text messages threatening the victim’s family

• On 2 April, he sent a text message promising the victim would not be able to go to the football game she had tickets for, as he would make sure she was in hospital instead.

A further four texts were sent to the victim on 3 April, as well as nine phone calls.
In addition, McGrath used a dating website to contact another of his ex-partners in March, despite having a restraining order not to contact her.

In police interview McGrath, of North Street, Wisbech, admitted to having a bad temper and said he believed he and the victim were still in love.

On Thursday (May 23), at Cambridge Crown Court, McGrath, was sentenced to 31 months in prison and given a ten year restraining order not to contact the victim, after pleading guilty to making threats to kill, stalking and three counts of harassment.

DC Lee Lombardo said:

“McGrath set out to terrorise and intimidate the victim, refusing to leave her alone despite her obvious desire to move on.

As a force we take the kind of threats he made very seriously and this is reflected in his sentence.”