Stalker jailed after sending threatening messages to woman

Riagain Grainger was also made subject to an indefinite stalking prevention order.

Riagain Grainger (Greater Manchester Police/PA) (PA Media)

A stalker who left a woman suffering panic attacks and nightmares after sending threatening messages has been jailed for two and a half years.

Riagain Grainger, 22, was sentenced at Manchester Crown Court on Wednesday after he admitted stalking involving fear of violence, serious alarm and distress, a spokesman for Greater Manchester Police said.

In a statement his victim, a 21-year-old woman, said she suffered multiple panic attacks after Grainger began to send threatening messages from anonymous accounts in 2019.

I have constant nightmares about him – about him attacking me, hurting me

Grainger's victim

She said: “I never felt safe. I still don’t feel safe. I still jump every time my phone rings.

“I still feel sick every time I get a message from an unknown account.

“I still have a panic attack every time I see someone who looks like him. I still can’t even step foot on a bus, thinking he might be there watching me.

“I have constant nightmares about him – about him attacking me, hurting me.

“They started a couple of weeks after the messages started and they haven’t stopped.

“Even now, every single night I am woken up by him. Every single night he is torturing me again.”

Everyone has the right to live their life without fear and harassment, and Grainger made that impossible for this young woman

Detective Constable Thomas Small

Grainger, of Rosnareen Road, Trillick, Co Tyrone, Northern Ireland was also made subject to an indefinite stalking prevention order.

A police spokesman said he sent messages, including threats to harm and kill, over a three-month period.

Grainger, who works as a film-maker, was charged in October 2019 after police seized his phone and found images of the victim and her home.

Detective Constable Thomas Small said: “Stalking can have a devastating effect on a victim and their loved ones and I hope this sentencing shows that we take any reports of stalking and harassment seriously and are committed to bringing anyone found responsible to justice.

“Everyone has the right to live their life without fear and harassment, and Grainger made that impossible for this young woman.

“I would urge any victims of stalking or harassment to please take that brave step and report it to us.”