Tinder match imprisoned woman in her flat on first date

A Tinder user who imprisoned a woman in her flat for two hours on their first date and attempted to strangle her has been jailed.

The victim was only saved after a neighbour heard her banging on the walls and begging to be let out, a court heard.

Jordan Brooker, 22, cried in court as he was jailed over the offences against Isabelle Worthmills, who he had been messaging for months before he turned up at her address.

George Joseph, prosecuting, said: “The complainant and the defendant knew each other from having met on the dating app Tinder.

“They messaged for a considerable amount of time but the defendant had never met the complainant.”

Turned up at her home

On Jan 10 this year, Brooker had turned up at Ms Worthmills’s home with another man whom she did not know.

The three had stayed up until the early hours socialising, but eventually, Ms Worthmills had gone to bed, Reading Crown Court heard.

When she woke up for a glass of water at around 4.30am, she “saw the defendant rocking with his head down and hood up”, the prosecutor said.

The victim had checked on Brooker, but he grabbed a bottle of Malibu and smashed it on the floor, a judge was told.

“Ms Worthmills asked the defendant to leave”, Mr Joseph said. “He said words to the effect of ‘who the f--- do you think you are talking to me like that’.

“He became aggressive and pushed the complainant towards the TV unit. She hid in the toilet to compose herself.”

‘Affecting her ability to breathe’

When the victim returned, Brooker had called her a “fat b----” and told her to “sit the f--- down and do not move”, the court heard.

Mr Joseph said: “The defendant placed his hand around the victim’s neck, digging into the neck with his thumbs. The complainant described feeling pressure on her neck, affecting her ability to breathe.

“The complainant felt that, due to his behaviour, remarks and actions, he was going to kill her.”

Ms Worthmills had threatened to cut her wrists in a bid to persuade Brooker to let go, the court heard, but he had told her to “cut deeper” and called her a “c---”.

Brooker had broken the victim’s phone and sat in front of the door of the flat so she could not leave, the court heard.

But at 6.30am, police were called to her home after a neighbour heard her banging on the wall and shouting “let me out”.

‘Broken and traumatised’

In a victim impact statement, Ms Worthmills said she was “completely broken and traumatised” from the incident, following which she had quit her job.

“I am scared to go outside, even to meet with friends”, she said. “I am terrified of running into Jordan.

“Jordan knows where I live. I am afraid, although I and Jordan were not in a relationship, that he will try to get to me.”

Anne-Marie Critchley, defending Brooker, said he had been taking cocaine and alcohol and that his problems stemmed from substance misuse.

Brooker attempted to read a letter which he had written to the judge, but he appeared to be overcome with emotion and said he could not read it.

‘Remorse towards the victim’

Instead, Ms Critchley revealed he “expresses remorse towards the victim and recognises she deserves an apology”.

Ms Critchley added Brooker had 10 certificates showing he had completed various workshops while on remand in prison.

“The person who behaved in this appalling way and the person in the dock is actually quite distinct”, the barrister added.

Brooker, of Hemdean Road in Reading, had admitted one offence of false imprisonment and one offence of intentional strangulation.

Judge Mathew Turner, sentencing, said: “The victim was stuck in her flat, crying and scared for a period of about two hours.

“There is a clear connection between drug and alcohol use and your offending on this date. That is an aggravating factor.”

The judge revealed Brooker – who had nine previous convictions for 11 offences – was in breach of the terms of a community order, which he had received for harassment on Dec 1 2022 and a suspended sentence, which he had received for three counts of battery on Dec 20 2022.

After the judge activated the suspended sentence term, he said the total sentence for Brooker was 31 months imprisonment.