Met police officer who ‘intentionally restrained’ ex-girlfriend from Greenhithe keeps job keeps job after gross misconduct verdict

A Met police officer who trapped his ex-girlfriend in his car while she had a panic attack following an argument at a birthday party has been given a final written warning.PC Daniel Maddix was accused of three incidents of gross misconduct while he was off-duty involving his then partner, who lived in Kent, which he denied.PC Maddix has served the Met Police since 2008. Stock picture: Met PoliceA misconduct hearing was told that PC Maddix met “Ms A” on Tinder and began a relationship with her in July 2022, which lasted around two to three months.The hearing heard that the pair got on well to start with, with Ms A describing the officer as a “nice guy” who also got on well with her eight-year-old child.She explained she had no concerns about their relationship until September 2022, when she claims he asked her about her previous partners, and derogatorily called her “a single mum from Greenhithe”.Ms A then alleged PC Maddix, who worked in the uniform operations team, deliberately stopped her from leaving his car while they drove home from a birthday party on September 9, 2022.The hearing was told that on arriving at the event, the mum-of-one introduced him to her friends, including “Jack”, with whom she had previously gone one date with, when his behaviour changed.Giving evidence, she said he did not interact with anyone, was unhappy with her, and made her feel embarrassed, so they left the party together in his car.The couple met on Tinder before starting a relationship in July 2022. Stock pictureMs A said he argued with her about Jack being at the party, and as she felt uncomfortable, she told him that their relationship was not going to work out.The panel heard that in response, PC Maddix drove past the exit to her home, causing her to panic, and when she alerted him of the mistake was told “he was not her f****** taxi” and continued driving away.Ms A said she asked to get out and tried opening the door, but he sped up so she could not leave and refused to stop the car.She told the panel she started to have a panic attack and was hyperventilating and “thought that [she] was going to die”.However, PC Maddix denied that his behaviour had been “off” and that he was not “fazed” by the attendance of Jack and the couple were arguing about a joke he made at the party.He claimed he did not remember her panicking or wanting to get out of his car, and he did not think anything untoward had happened, which the panel said was “implausible”.Two out of three allegations against the officer were proven. Stock pictureThe hearing was shown WhatsApp messages sent the following day (September 10), which the board found to be “persuasive” in confirming Ms A’s recollection of events.The texts showed PC Maddix pleading for forgiveness for his “actions” and said he was “ashamed and overwhelmingly filled with guilt” and acknowledging that he would not let her out of the vehicle.The panel said it was “incongruous that the officer would have messaged Ms A to ask her to forgive him for his actions if nothing more significant than a verbal argument had occurred.”Ms A alleged that later that same day, PC Maddix turned up at her flat while she was watching a film with her son and was pleading for them to get back together.Giving evidence, she said she felt scared and asked him to leave, but he tried to grab her phone and pulled at her legs and arms.She claimed she then grabbed her son and ran out of her home in her pyjamas when PC Maddix shouted “your mum’s a f***ing wh***” behind them.He was given a final written warning. Stock picture: Met PoliceThe officer, who has served with the Met Police since 2008, accepted he raised his voice and may have said words to the effect of “you are acting crazy”, but denies swearing and attempting to hurt her.He claimed not to know why she fled the flat and said he did not do anything to warrant her reaction, however, the panel found this implausible and was satisfied he did assault her.Ms A further claimed that PC Maddix harassed her by repeatedly calling her after being blocked, attending her home unannounced with flowers, and blocking her exit by pushing against the door.The panel found that the events did occur; however, it did not find that his actions were harassment, and the allegation was not proven.Chairwoman of the misconduct hearing, Chiew Yin Jones, found that PC Maddix did breach the standard of professional behaviour of discreditable conduct, and it amounted to gross misconduct.In her report, she said his actions in the two proven allegations would have an “adverse impact on public confidence in policing” as the public “would be concerned by the behaviour of a serving police officer towards his then partner”.A misconduct hearing was held between March and April. Stock pictureShe added: “As a serving police officer, the panel took the view that he could reasonably have foreseen the risk of harm by his actions.“However, the panel recognised that the officer was infatuated by Ms A, and was left ‘reeling’ from the breakdown of the relationship as evidenced by the officer’s WhatsApp messages to Ms A.“It was reasonable to assume that the officer was caused stress as a result of the relationship breakdown that caused him to react irrationally and out of character.”The report noted that there were no concerns about PC Maddix’s behaviour since 2022, he had not shown aggression in his next relationship, and he had no previous disciplinary findings.He received a final written warning, which will be on his file for three years and was warned that any further misconduct may result in his dismissal from the force.The hearing was held between March 31 and April 3 this year in London.

A Met police officer who trapped his ex-girlfriend in his car while she had a panic attack following an argument at a birthday party has been given a final written warning. PC Daniel Maddix was accused of three incidents of gross misconduct while he was off-duty involving his then partner, who lived in Kent, which he denied. A misconduct hearing was told that PC Maddix met “Ms A” on Tinder and began a relationship with her in July 2022, which lasted around two to three months.

The hearing heard that the pair got on well to start with, with Ms A describing the officer as a “nice guy” who also got on well with her eight-year-old child. She explained she had no concerns about their relationship until September 2022, when she claims he asked her about her previous partners, and derogatorily called her “a single mum from Greenhithe ”. Ms A then alleged PC Maddix, who worked in the uniform operations team, deliberately stopped her from leaving his car while they drove home from a birthday party on September 9, 2022.

The hearing was told that on arriving at the event, the mum-of-one introduced him to her friends, including “Jack”, with whom she had previously gone one date with, when his behaviour changed. Giving evidence, she said he did not interact with anyone, was unhappy with her, and made her feel embarrassed, so they left the party together in his car. Ms A said he argued with her about Jack being at the party, and as she felt uncomfortable, she told him that their relationship was not going to work out.

The panel heard that in response, PC Maddix drove past the exit to her home, causing her to panic, and when she alerted him of the mistake was told “he was not her f****** taxi” and continued driving away. Ms A said she asked to get out and tried opening the door, but he sped up so she could not leave and refused to stop the car. She told the panel she started to have a panic attack and was hyperventilating and “thought that [she] was going to die”.

However, PC Maddix denied that his behaviour had been “off” and that he was not “fazed” by the attendance of Jack and the couple were arguing about a joke he made at the party. He claimed he did not remember her panicking or wanting to get out of his car, and he did not think anything untoward had happened, which the panel said was “implausible”. The hearing was shown WhatsApp messages sent the following day (September 10), which the board found to be “persuasive” in confirming Ms A’s recollection of events.

The texts showed PC Maddix pleading for forgiveness for his “actions” and said he was “ashamed and overwhelmingly filled with guilt” and acknowledging that he would not let her out of the vehicle. The panel said it was “incongruous that the officer would have messaged Ms A to ask her to forgive him for his actions if nothing more significant than a verbal argument had occurred.” Ms A alleged that later that same day, PC Maddix turned up at her flat while she was watching a film with her son and was pleading for them to get back together.

Giving evidence, she said she felt scared and asked him to leave, but he tried to grab her phone and pulled at her legs and arms. She claimed she then grabbed her son and ran out of her home in her pyjamas when PC Maddix shouted “your mum’s a f***ing wh***” behind them. The officer, who has served with the Met Police since 2008, accepted he raised his voice and may have said words to the effect of “you are acting crazy”, but denies swearing and attempting to hurt her.

He claimed not to know why she fled the flat and said he did not do anything to warrant her reaction, however, the panel found this implausible and was satisfied he did assault her. Ms A further claimed that PC Maddix harassed her by repeatedly calling her after being blocked, attending her home unannounced with flowers, and blocking her exit by pushing against the door. The panel found that the events did occur; however, it did not find that his actions were harassment, and the allegation was not proven.

Chairwoman of the misconduct hearing, Chiew Yin Jones, found that PC Maddix did breach the standard of professional behaviour of discreditable conduct, and it amounted to gross misconduct. In her report, she said his actions in the two proven allegations would have an “adverse impact on public confidence in policing” as the public “would be concerned by the behaviour of a serving police officer towards his then partner”. She added: “As a serving police officer, the panel took the view that he could reasonably have foreseen the risk of harm by his actions.

“However, the panel recognised that the officer was infatuated by Ms A, and was left ‘reeling’ from the breakdown of the relationship as evidenced by the officer’s WhatsApp messages to Ms A. “It was reasonable to assume that the officer was caused stress as a result of the relationship breakdown that caused him to react irrationally and out of character.” The report noted that there were no concerns about PC Maddix’s behaviour since 2022, he had not shown aggression in his next relationship, and he had no previous disciplinary findings.

He received a final written warning, which will be on his file for three years and was warned that any further misconduct may result in his dismissal from the force. The hearing was held between March 31 and April 3 this year in London..