Joseph McKenna, 20, jailed for stalking his former girlfriend. Harassment continued despite a restraining order.
McKenna, 20, contacted her repeatedly between February 19th and 26th, 2025, even though he was banned from contacting her. Ifunanya Ezennolim dated McKenna for three months. He stalked her after they broke up.
A judge previously gave McKenna a suspended sentence for affray. He had also committed criminal damage and stalking. A restraining order protected Ms. Ezennolim. On February 19th, he called her at 1:15 am, claiming she ruined his life. He called and texted her for days after, saying he would come to her flat. He was also seen near her student housing.
Ms. Ezennolim stated that her saying “no” made him more persistent. He’d wait outside her building at 11 pm. She told her university staff and saw him across the street while leaving, quickly getting into a taxi. She worries about McKenna’s future actions, feeling he is obsessed with her, which is concerning given their brief relationship.
McKenna admitted to his crimes in court, including harassment and violating his order. This also meant he broke his suspended sentence terms. James LeFroy defended McKenna, saying McKenna was well-intentioned at first. He then struggled after losing housing, becoming homeless and desiring affection. LeFroy called McKenna “naïve”.
Judge Paul Healey addressed McKenna directly, saying the order was very clear and breaking it meant prison. He found no reason to avoid the sentence, and the original sentence had to be applied. The judge sentenced McKenna to 24 weeks for the initial crimes. He added eight weeks for breaking the order, totaling 32 weeks in prison for McKenna to serve.