When a dancer attempted to break up with her ‘jealous’ partner after they had a fight over an episode of Love Island, he fatally stabbed her, an inquest heard.
After she went to his house to break up with her controlling partner Ben Green, 41, Maddie Durdant-Hollamby, 22, was repeatedly stabbed in the chest.
Inquest testimony revealed that on August 27, 2017, he became enraged and stabbed “beautiful” Maddie three times at the home on Slate Drive in Kettering, Northamptonshire.
Before police could find Mr. Green’s body inside the kitchen in a pool of blood, the marketing director turned the knife on himself.
Despite the best efforts of the medical staff, Maddie was found dead upstairs in the bedroom with her cell phone next to her.
One of Maddie’s friends claims that the couple previously had a lengthy argument over a Love Island show when she admitted she thought one of the competitors was beautiful.
As information about the horrific murder-suicide was revealed to an inquiry at Northampton’s Guildhall today, a senior coroner was brought to tears.
Maddie’s decision to break up with Mr. Green in person rather than via text because she felt it was the appropriate thing to do was explained during the hearing.
But shortly after getting to the house, she had been fatally stabbed, and one of the thrusts was so strong that the blade broke off in the wound.
Then Mr. Green walked downstairs and committed suicide. He was discovered with self-inflicted wounds on his arms and a deep wound to his neck that had severed his jugular vein.
Wimblington, Cambridgeshire resident Maddie’s friends described Mr. Green as a “jealous individual” who frequently used to check Maddie’s phone texts.
Friend Abbie Green claimed that they had argued over her decision to leave him behind and on a family vacation to Jamaica.
I thought he was pretty controlling, Abbie replied. However, he made Maddie smile.
Maddie continued by telling her friends that she was unsure of what to do with her partner and that their paths were diverging.
The trio talked about Maddie’s alternatives on August 25, the day before she passed away, and Maddie decided to break up with Mr. Green the next day after work.
He “wouldn’t let her do it via text,” she said, adding that she thought she owed it to him to do it in person.
The next day at 3.35 pm, she texted her coworkers and said, “I’m really nervous.”
Then, at 5:51 p.m., she instructed her pals to call her if they hadn’t heard from her by then.
She texted them with the words “Love You XX” a minute later, and it was the last message she ever sent.
After many attempts to text and contact Maddie that evening, they didn’t hear from her again.
At 10:10 p.m. that night, Abbie even attempted to call Mr. Green’s phone and left a message to see if everything was well.
They tried to contact their friend again the next morning, August 27, but they didn’t hear back, so they called Maddie’s mother Rachel.
Officers were called to the Kettering home where he had recently moved at 1.30 pm that day to check on his welfare.
They discovered Maddie upstairs on the bed and Mr. Green in the kitchen in a pool of blood. At the scene, both were declared dead.
When it was revealed to the inquest that Maddie’s mother had been devastated by her death, senior coroner for Northamptonshire Anne Pember started crying.
Before the birth of her son Fabian, Rachel Durdant-Hollamby said she and her daughter had many “cherished mother and daughter moments.” She also said her daughter had grown up loving dancing.
The court heard how Maddie took great care of her infant brother, even changing his diaper and watching over him as her mother took care of housework.
In a statement read out in court, Rachel stated: “Maddie was wonderfully kind and loved nothing more than indulging her family and friends.
I believe that our lives have been ruined, torn apart. I’m struggling to find a clear path forward.
I want to be a family of four once more since there is a large emptiness in our lives. She was simply ideal.
I’m attempting to remain composed for Fabian. His next years should be as wonderful as Maddie’s were.
She claimed she felt cheated out of kissing Maddie’s children, shopping with her for furniture for her home, and helping her choose her wedding gown.
I just miss her, Rachel continued. Where Maddie should be, there is a massive gap in our lives. She was simply kind and loving. We desire her return.
We had been close pals. She will always be my closest pal. My heart is shattered.
At Christmas 2019, Maddie and Mr. Green started dating after meeting at the marketing company where her father, Steve Durdant-Hollamby, worked.
Mr. Green even spent five weeks living with Maddie’s family while he waited for his house to be finished, getting to know her father and going for runs with him.
Mother Rachel claimed that she had not noticed any problems in the couple’s relationship or evidence of abuse.
Anne Pember, a senior coroner for Northamptonshire, had to halt after rendering a verdict of unlawful killing due to emotion.
“I believe this is the saddest case I’ve ever heard in my 27 years as coroner,” she added.
I have no idea how painful losing your daughter must be for you. I sincerely apologize for your loss.
After Maddie passed away, a separate inquest into Mr. Green’s death was held, and the coroner came to the conclusion that he committed suicide.
He had three children and ten years of marriage when his marriage ended in 2007, it was revealed during the hearing.
When she learned about the deaths, his ex-wife, with whom he had a cordial relationship, remarked, “He wouldn’t hurt a fly.”
Ben is not violent, his brother Thomas Green testified in court. I believe he would have made contact before acting in that manner. This is a major shock.