Megan Griffiths avoided jail and was fined £80
A jilted girlfriend who threatened to post naked pictures of her ex-lover on Instagram and smeared him as a cocaine addict has escaped with an £80 fine and a £200 court bill after she blamed social media for allowing her to carry out ‘impulsive’ hate crimes against him online.
Megan Griffiths, 20, bombarded the victim with hundreds of text and Whatsapp messages over an eight-day period after he ended their three-year relationship.
During her campaign, Griffiths vowed to put intimate images of her 22-year-old former lover on her social media pages, said she would slash the tyres on his car with a knife and submitted an online form to his employers falsely telling them that he snorted cocaine.
She also sent her former boyfriend online messages by using 1p transfers to his Monzo bank account begging him to contact her.
She also repeatedly rang him using her own phone number, fake numbers, private numbers and withheld numbers.
At Warrington magistrates court, Cheshire, Griffiths a care home cleaner who lives with her sisters in the Great Sankey area of the town, faced up to a year in jail under sentencing guidelines after she pleaded guilty to stalking, threatening to disclose images of a person in an intimate state and threatening to damage property.
But she walked free after her lawyer said she was so young and impulsive, she was ‘malleable’ and could be ‘reprogrammed.’
Megan Griffiths, 20, bombarded the victim with hundreds of text and Whatsapp messages over an eight-day period
On top of her fine Griffiths was also ordered to complete 20 days of rehabilitation activity and pay £199 in costs and victim surcharge. She was also handed a 12-month restraining order banning her from contacting the victim.
Her lawyer Ian Weights said: ‘Without trying to sound a little out of touch I find that people have got mobile phones and digital devices next to them 24 hours a day and the ability to respond to people or act on impulse is always there.
‘In years gone by that was never the case. If struggling to deal with your emotions and you are impulsive by nature you can put yourself in an awful lot of trouble very quickly. ‘
The court heard Griffiths sent the slew of messages in May last year after being left bereft by the ending of her fling with the victim.
Mr Weights added: ‘At some point in this, there is a point where the defendant says that in the context of the split there was some discussion, some form of sexual liaison that was going on which has not helped her come to terms with the end of the relationship.
‘That has given her mixed messages, causing her perhaps to expect that the relationship might have the potential to go somewhere. That is never helpful.
‘Some people may think that she may be entitled to think that the relationship will recommence or something may happen.
‘The threats to commit criminal damage were during the summer of 2023. Clearly the relationship continued in the intervening period. Police intervened after it had come to a head and she has desisted.
‘She has shown she is able to discipline herself and hopefully convince herself to the court that this is over.’
He added: ‘Someone who is young is a bit more malleable and can be reprogrammed.
‘The work with probation would be valuable.
‘If this issue can be fixed for someone who is in their twenties it will be of real benefit to her going forward and for others as well she may get into a relationship with.
‘That work would not be available in the prison environment.
‘She accepts responsibility and has managed to move on.’
At Warrington magistrates court, Cheshire, Griffiths faced up to a year in jail after she pleaded guilty to stalking, threatening to disclose images of a person in an intimate state and threatening to damage property.
Earlier Jessica Pridding, prosecuting, said: ‘The complainant and the defendant were in a relationship for a number of years and it came to an end in May of this year when he ended it.
‘Since the conclusion of the relationship, the defendant called him repeatedly from her own number, fake numbers, withheld numbers and with no caller ID numbers.
‘She made multiple transactions sending one penny to the complainant’s Monzo account.
‘In the references on the payments there were a number of messages asking him to contact her.
‘On the 29 May of this year, the defendant submitted a form to the complainant’s employer saying that he is a cocaine user. The defendant also sent an email from her account to request that he contact her.
‘On the 13 May, he received an email from the defendant threatening to disclose intimate images of him to her Instagram account. She also threatened to slash the tyres of his car. She has no previous convictions.’
In sentencing Griffiths, JP Andrew Pope told her: ‘We believe you knew exactly what you were doing but you did not know the severe consequences.
‘We think you need a bit of support. For goodness sake move on, you are 20, you have made some mistakes, do your work with probation and pay your fine.’
At the end of the hearing, Mr Pope asked her, ‘You are not going to be back in the criminal courts again are you?’, to which she shook her head. ‘Perfect,’ Mr Pope replied.