BRADFORD MAN JAILED FOR HOLDING GUN TO GIRLFRIEND'S FAMILY AND THREATENING TO RELEASE INTIMATE PICTURES
Jordan Ratcliffe, aged 22, threatened to distribute intimate photographs of his girlfriend’s daughter and, during an incident outside his home in Bradford’s Southmere Crescent, brandished a gun at her mother and brother when they intervened.Ratcliffe's abusive pattern began early in their relationship from April 2018, marked by controlling conduct such as questioning her about boys at college and her online contacts.
His behavior intensified in 2019, especially after she started working in engineering, with him demanding access to her phone and serving a five-week sentence for dangerous driving that year.
Despite his time in detention, he continued to threaten her and her friends via messages, warning of publication of sensitive images and issuing violent threats.
In June 2020, he sent a late-night message instructing her to see him, leading her to involve her brother and a friend for safety.
The confrontation escalated when her mother approached Ratcliffe at his home to demand explanations about the threats.
He responded by holding a rifle to her lips, then chased her to a vehicle while her brother arrived and was warned to stay back.
Ratcliffe then moved to the vehicle, thrust the gun through an open window, and threatened to shoot.
He fled the scene but was eventually located by police via a phone app.
The police found a knuckle duster on him, and his father recovered the rifle from his garden.
The court noted he is presently in a stable relationship and expressed support from his current partner.
He was sentenced to 32 months in prison and ordered to avoid contact with his victims for ten years.
Judge Ian Hatton described Ratcliffe’s behavior as profoundly controlling and coercive, emphasizing the ongoing distress caused to the victims.
Ratcliffe is expected to serve up to half of his sentence in custody before being released on licence.
