A jilted ex-boyfriend followed his ex to Barbados and made an unwanted beachfront marriage proposal in a campaign of harassment, a court has heard.
James Farrer-Fisher, 39, was dumped by Isabella Brooker just before Christmas 2022, and was then uninvited on her family’s festive break to the Caribbean island.
But the businessman took the break-up badly, continuing to send her a stream of messages in a bid to rekindle their romance.
He ignored her pleas to stay in the UK and went on the trip to Barbados regardless, and Isleworth crown court heard Ms Brooker was on the beach with her mother when they were alarmed to see Farrer-Fisher nearby.
“He pleaded with her that he wanted to marry her,” said prosecutor Chloe Hucker.
“He said he had cancelled trips to Miami and Mexico, and said it showed he was serious about her.”
The court heard Ms Brooker ended the relationship after she caught Farrer-Fisher with a dating app on his phone.
When she tried to look at the phone, he bit her four or five times on the arm, before trying to laugh off the attack as a “joke”.
Farrer-Fisher was eventually arrested in January 2023 after he turned up at Ms Brooker’s west London apartment at 3am. He had also left tickets to the Lion King in the West End outside her home, together with a “bizarre” note pretending to be written by Ms Brooker, declaring her love for him.
He admitted charges of assault and harassment, and was sentenced by Judge Edward Connell to a 12-month community order with 20 days of rehabilitation.
“It’s plain you had some difficulties accepting the relationship was over”, he said. “You do now have insight into your behaviour.
“You recognise going to Barbados was a poor idea, I accept you are now remorseful, and have undergone some counselling.”
Ms Brooker told the court she was left in fear when out socialising after Farrer-fisher’s harassment, afraid that she would be targeted on her journey home.
She had been assaulted by Farrer-Fisher in bed after they had enjoyed a meal out in Soho and stayed in a luxury hotel, on December 11, 2022.
“Ms Brooker noticed while Mr Farrer-Fisher was on his phone he had a dating app downloaded”, said Ms Hucker.
“She asked him about it, and he said it had been there for a while and she should trust him.
“As he went to sleep, Ms Brooker reached over to take the phone from under the pillow, and Mr Farrer-Fisher bit her arm four or five times.
“He then rolled over and fell asleep.”
The court heard he later claimed to have been “warning you off in a joking manner”, to which she replied: “Your teeth were out like a dog. How is that funny?”
When they broke up he was “uninvited” from the family holiday, but decided to fly to Barbados anyway, having already paid for the ticket and hotel stay.
“In Barbados, Mr Farrer-Fisher was constantly messaging Ms Brooker, calling her, telling her he was alone and wanted to see her”, said the prosecutor.
“On January 2, 2023, Ms Brooker was in the beach with her mother and they saw Mr Farrer-Fisher on the beach.
“She panicked and walked over to him to see what he was doing.”
The court heard Farrer-Fisher’s pursuit continued when they returned to the UK, with multiple phone calls despite Ms Brooker making it clear she did not want to see him.
She found a card at her home, addressed to Farrer-Fisher and purportedly written by her, declaring to love to “amazing husband” and accompanied by the Lion King tickets.
“On January 14, Mr Farrer-Fisher attempted to get into Ms Brooker’s apartment”, the prosecutor added.
“She was alerted by the concierge calling her father at 3am.”
In a victim impact statement, Ms Brooker said she has stopped using Uber drivers and “goes out a lot less then I did before”.
“I only go out with certain friends who are a lot stronger and taller than me”, she told the court.
“Whenever I go out, I tell my mum where I am. I speak with my mum the entire journey home so she knows I’m OK.”
Farrer-Fisher, who lives in a £2 million Battersea apartment, is currently running his own bar, the court heard.
He has a previous conviction from 2016 for battery, and pleaded guilty to harassment and assault against Ms Brooker in March this year, just a week before his trial was due to take place.
He told the court he now regrets going on the trip to Barbados, and described the harassment campaign as having “arisen from an unfortunate set of circumstances when the relationship broke down”.
The judge ordered Farrer-Fisher to pay £1630 in costs, and he imposed a three-year restraining order, banning him from contacting his ex-girlfriend.
He also rejected a bid from Farrer-Fisher to be allowed to go to a private members club in the building where she lives, telling him there are other clubs in London that he can attend.
