A young police officer, Caitlin Howarth, avoided a misconduct hearing despite engaging in a romantic relationship with her senior, Chief Superintendent Daniel Greenwood, who was married at the time. Howarth, 25, had recently joined the West Yorkshire Police force when the affair began with Greenwood, who was the Covid enforcement chief for Bradford. Greenwood admitted to breaching lockdown rules to be with Howarth, leading to his resignation due to gross misconduct. However, Howarth faced no significant consequences and did not undergo a misconduct hearing.
The relationship between Howarth and Greenwood came to light after Howarth started a sexual relationship with a drug dealer she met on Tinder. Greenwood, from Bingley, West Yorkshire, acknowledged gross misconduct allegations spanning from March 2019 to November 2021 and resigned from his position. Despite being almost half his age, Howarth also resigned from the force but did not face a disciplinary hearing as initially expected.
Following a review, West Yorkshire Police determined that there was no case against Howarth after her resignation. A previous criminal case against Howarth for alleged misconduct in a public office was also dropped. Despite the controversial affair, Howarth now shares glamorous photos on Instagram to her large following.
The affair reportedly began when the two exchanged explicit messages and had intimate relations while Greenwood was out jogging shortly after Howarth’s 21st birthday. Greenwood claimed that Howarth initiated the affair due to finding older men more appealing and cited personal issues with her boyfriend as a reason for their involvement.
In a separate incident, Howarth engaged in a relationship with a drug dealer named Joseph Shaw, which Greenwood became aware of. The flirtatious communication between Greenwood and Howarth continued until Shaw’s arrest for drug-related offenses, leading to Howarth’s subsequent arrest on suspicion of aiding her boyfriend.
Greenwood attempted to conceal his involvement by erasing data from his phone, but his actions were uncovered by West Yorkshire Police.