Portsmouth stalker jailed after posting butter laced with glass through door for Paulsgrove victim’s puppy to eat

Stalker Billy Griffiths smashed windows at his former girlfriend’s home, slashed her car tyres and burgled her home.

Portsmouth Crown Court heard one night at 11.10pm the woman’s puppy was seen ‘lapping up’ butter spiked with glass shards put through the letterbox by Griffiths.

The 28-year-old also sprayed red dye through the letterbox into the woman’s Paulsgrove home, and waved his lighter through after pouring antifreeze in.

Griffiths, of Ship Leopard Street, Portsea, was jailed for 20 months after admitting stalking causing serious alarm or distress.

In a statement read by prosecutor Christopher Wing, the victim said: ‘He is obsessed and I honestly believe he will kill me if he is released. Billy will never stop, he has proved that and his behaviour is getting worse.

‘I genuinely believe that Billy should not be allowed to roam the streets as he will hunt me down and kill me.’

She added: ‘Billy has literally ruined my life, he has torn me away bit by bit.’

Mr Wing told the court how Griffiths and the woman’s relationship ended in September 2019 and he started a five-week campaign of stalking.

This included him smashing her kitchen window, banging on the door, making 12 anonymous calls and slashing two tyres on September 30 last year.

On October 28 he poured the antifreeze solution through her letterbox and waved a lighter through, and on November 3 he smashed a window. Two days later he broke a panel on the front door.

Another two days later Griffiths called the woman saying he had been in her home and taken her PS4, Nintendo Switch and clothes belonging to her new boyfriend. He was then arrested.

In her court statement the woman said ‘the trauma caused is horrendous’ and she experienced ‘terrifying experiences’.

She added: ‘I just want an end to this hell.’

Jailing Griffiths, Recorder Paul Garlick QC said: ‘It’s plain to me that your conduct towards her over that period... has to an extent ruined her life, not only that but she believed you were going to kill her.’

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Unyime Davies, mitigating, said it was Griffiths’ first relationship and he was immature.

She said: ‘He wasn’t equipped to deal with the ups and downs of the relationship and behaved in an appalling and immature way, and he would say that himself.’

There was an ‘intensity of a first relationship’ and they had moved in together after three months, she said.

Griffiths denied animal cruelty and this was dropped by the prosecution.

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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