Woman and family 'forced to leave everything behind' due to persistent Leeds ex
A woman said she and her children have been forced to “leave everything behind” because he ex partner has refused to leave her alone.
Craig Risdon has breached orders to keep away from the woman on five previous occasions.
The 37-year-old was back to Leeds Crown Court recently for a further breach, this time after he asked to follow the woman on TikTok in October 2023.
In a victim impact statement from the victim, read to the court by prosecutor Oliver Norman, she said due to Risdon, her family had to “leave everything behind” and had been “stripped of everything”.
She said she was forced to move “hundreds of miles away”, change numbers and deactivate social media accounts to prevent Risdon from tracking them.
She added: “We felt like prisoners, that we were the ones committing the offences.
“Even though we have a new home, I constantly check windows and doors and any passing car puts me on edge.
“I live in fear he will be successful in finding out where our new home is. I do not feel safe. I feel vulnerable and exposed.”
Risdon, of Poplar Court, Bramley, admitted breach of his restraining order.
Mitigating, Matthew Stewart said there had been no other breaches since the Tiktok request more than two years ago.
He said Risdon worked as a labourer on building sites. The court heard he also had ADHD.
But Judge Howard Crowson told Risdon: “ADHD does not excuse your behaviour and you should know that, but knowing it might assist those people who help you in future.
He said of his breach: “It caused great distress. It was deliberate. It caused her to leave her home and live elsewhere.”
He gave Risdon a 12-month community order, with 12-month electronic-tag monitoring and 20 rehabilitation days to complete.
Judge Crowson said: “It’s an alternative to locking you up. If you breach this order, you must expect to go to prison.”
He gave him a new restraining order of indefinite length.