Married police chief’s Covid rule break was ‘worse than his affair’ with glamorous rookie officer 17 years younger

A married police chief who abused his position for sex with a glamorous rookie has been told breaching Covid rules was the most damaging aspect of his behaviour.

Chief Superintendent Daniel Greenwood, 41, exploited his senior rank and a 17-year age gap to pursue an illicit relationship with ex-student officer Caitlin Howarth, 24 – who previously dated a drugs kingpin and First Dates star.

Greenwood, the district commander in Bradford, resigned from his £103,000-a-year job earlier this week before he could be sacked for gross misconduct.

A West Yorkshire Police disciplinary panel yesterday ruled that he would have been dismissed had he not suddenly voluntarily ended his 21-year career two days ago. 

The panel chairman, Craig Hassall KC, said the most damaging factor in terms of the police’s reputation was that Greenwood breached Covid rules when he had sex with Howarth while he was silver commander for the police force’s response to the pandemic.

Chief Superintendent Daniel Greenwood, 41, exploited his £103,000-salary senior rank and a 17-year age gap to pursue an illicit relationship with ex-student officer Caitlin Howarth, 24

The married police chief who abused his position for sex with glamorous rookie Caitlin Howarth, 24, (pictured) will never again work again in policing

Chief Superintendent Greenwood (left) will be able to keep his pension. PC Howarth, who previously dated a drugs kingpin, is seen leaving York Magistrates court (right)

The tribunal heard that Greenwood breached stay-at-home rules to visit Howarth’s flat for sex when she was aged 21. 

Mr Hassall said there had been ‘widespread public revulsion’ in the last few years over cases where figures of authority were seen to be breaching the rules while others were prevented from seeing dying relatives or going to funerals.

He said this was worse than the publicity over the affair itself, which was a ‘consenting relationship between two adults’, according to The Times.

But he said the relationship was ‘conspicuously contrary to all of the available guidelines’ and there was ‘significant harm’ caused by the misconduct, both internally and externally to West Yorkshire Police. 

Greenwood accepted he breached the ‘spirit’ of the Covid rules, but not the ‘letter’ at the panel. 

Following the panel’s decision, Greenwood will still be able to keep his pension, having not been charged with a criminal offence.

Greenwood’s name will now be added to the College of Policing barred list, preventing him from ever again work in policing. 

Mr Hassall said: ‘In our judgment, the seriousness of gross misconduct admitted and found proved means that nothing less than dismissal would be sufficient to maintain confidence in West Yorkshire Police and policing generally. 

‘The former officer would have been dismissed had he not already ceased to be a member of the police force when he tended his resignation two days ago.’ 

The misconduct hearing, held at force headquarters in Wakefield, heard Greenwood was introduced to the then 20-year-old by her mother, when she was seeking a job with the police.

He agreed to help Howarth, referred to as Miss A in the hearing, apply for a job in the police force in December 2019.

But after meeting in person in March 2020, the pair swapped flirty messages and sexually explicit pictures over the summer. 

The pair had sex in January 2021, shortly after Howarth’s 21st birthday and when she had been a probationer PC for just seven weeks, and again in July 2021. 

‘Rumour was rife’ over the fling, with ‘tittle-tattle’ and ‘gossip’ spreading among junior ranks, the hearing was told. 

Senior officers also had concerns after Greenwood disclosed her GCSE results to HR, personally delivered her uniform and attended her occupational health appointment. 

After the affair came to light in November 2021, embarrassed Greenwood attempted to perform a factory reset on his iPhone to conceal the evidence.

He remained suspended from that date until his resignation on Tuesday.

Greenwood had previously been suspended amid allegations of an improper relationship with Caitlin Howarth (pictured)

Greenwood was first introduced to Howarth (pictured) by her mother in 2019, who was a governor at his children’s primary school, seeking advice on how she could join the police after leaving university

The panel said Greenwood abused ‘an obvious position of trust and responsibility’ and deliberately concealed the relationship from superiors.

Mr Hassall said: ‘Miss A was vulnerable due to her young age and very junior rank and her previous mental health challenged, all of which immediately obvious factors.

‘The former officer established himself in a specific position of power and trust when he enthusiastically agreed to mentor and support her throughout her recruitment to West Yorkshire Police. 

‘If he did not recognise Miss A’s vulnerability in those circumstances then he should have done.’

He added: ‘He was her self appointed mentor and latterly her district commander. We are entirely satisfied that the former officer’s conduct did amount to an abuse of his position for a sexual purpose.’ 

The panel was told that during a national Covid lockdown in January 2021, Greenwood breached regulations to visit the young woman’s flat – which she shared with her boyfriend – for sex.

The panel said breaches of the rules ‘undermined public confidence in policing’. 

Mr Hassall said: ‘There was there remains widespread public revulsion towards breaches of covid regulations by those in positions of trust and responsibility, while the vast majority were doing their best to follow the rules often at a grievous cost.’

Matters unravelled in October 2021 when Miss A turned to Greenwood for advice after meeting Joseph Shaw on Tinder, whose brother Daniel was in prison at the time.

When she told Greenwood of her contact with Shaw, he ironically replied: ‘He won’t stop until he’s s***ged you. That’s not okay.’ 

The used car salesman, 29, was jailed for six-and-a-half years in January 2023 after admitting a drugs supply plot with his brother Daniel, 25. 

He provided one of First Dates’ most memorable moments by revealing he had already met his blind date on the train — and they had spent the night together. 

Joseph Shaw, 29, was jailed for six-and-a-half years in January 2023 after admitting a drugs supply plot with his brother Daniel 

The 28-year-old, who once appeared on the Channel 4 dating show in 2017, met glamorous rookie cop Caitlin Howarth, 24, on Tinder with the duo going on ‘one date’ together

Mr Hassall said: ‘From then until Miss A’s arrest on November 2, 2021, the flirtatious and overtly sexual messages between Miss A and the former officer actually increased.’ 

When Greenwood was told Howarth had been arrested over his links to Shaw, he did not disclose their sexual relationship. 

Instead, he used Google to research: ‘Does erasing an iPhone delete everything? and ‘can data be restored after erased iPhone’. 

Shortly afterwards, Greenwood performed a factory reset of his mobile. 

Howarth was due to face a trial in York next year charged with misconduct in a public office. 

The former officer, who lives in Bingley, West Yorkshire, previously posted photos of herself in revealing clothing on social media – including to her Instagram account which had more than 10,000 followers. 

But on Tuesday, the same day as Greenwood’s resignation, the Crown Prosecution Service said criminal proceedings had been halted and that no evidence would be offered. She is still the subject of a police misconduct investigation. 

The tribunal heard that Greenwood’s wife is undergoing treatment for cancer and is standing by him. 

The shamed officer was described as being a ‘high-functioning alcoholic’ who was suffering from undiagnosed complex post-traumatic stress. Delivering his conclusions.

Mr Hassall said: ‘No one could fail to feel sympathy for the former officer’s family for the effect that his misconduct has had on them.

‘No one could fail to feel sympathy in relation to the trauma that has precipitated the former officer’s mental ill health’.

Greenwood, who admitted discreditable conduct amounting to gross misconduct, first joined the Ministry of Defence police in 2003, before transferring to West Midlands Police in 2004.

He joined West Yorkshire Police in 2006 and was made chief inspector six years later.

He was appointed chief superintendent in 2020 and had been tipped to become an assistant chief constable.