Dancer Maddie Durdant-Hollamby stabbed to death by Ben Green after trying to break-up with him

A dancer was stabbed to death by her "jealous" boyfriend when she went to his home to break up with him, an inquest heard.

Maddie Durdant-Hollamby, 22, was repeatedly stabbed by her controlling partner Ben Green, 41, after she went to his home to end their relationship.

An inquest heard he flew into a rage and stabbed Maddie three times at the property on Slate Drive, in Kettering, Northamptonshire, on 27 August last year.

Marketing director Mr Green then turned the blade on himself before officers discovered his body inside the kitchen.

Maddie was found dead upstairs in the bedroom with her mobile phone next to her and nothing could be done to save the pair despite the efforts of medics.

A senior coroner was reduced to tears as details of the tragic murder-suicide were relayed to an inquest at Northampton’s Guildhall on Thursday (7 July).

‘They once argued because she found a Love Island contestant attractive’

The hearing was told that talented marketing executive Maddie had gone to dump Mr Green face-to-face rather than over text as she thought it was the right thing to do.

But within 10 minutes of arriving at the house, she had been stabbed to death and one of the knife thrusts was so forceful the blade snapped off in the wound.

Mr Green then went downstairs and took his own life.

Friends of Maddie, of Wimblington, Cambridgeshire, told how Mr Green was a "jealous person" who regularly used to check Maddie’s texts.

Abbie Green said the couple once fell out for days over an episode of Love Island after Maddie told him she found one of the contestants attractive.

She said they had also rowed about her deciding to go on a family holiday to Jamaica with her parents without him.

Abbie said: "I thought he was quite controlling. But he made Maddie happy.

"They had once been arguing because she found a Love Island contestant attractive.

"He would check her phone lock screen for messages."

‘Love You XX’: Maddie’s last message to friends

She went on to tell her friends she wasn’t sure what to do about her boyfriend and that they were on different paths.

On 25 August, the day before Maddie’s death, the trio discussed her options and Maddie resolved to go and see Mr Green after work the next day to break up with him.

She told the group that he “wouldn’t let her do it by text” and that she felt she owed it to him to do it face to face.

At 3.35pm the following day, she messaged her friends from work, saying “I’m so nervous”.

Then at 5.51pm she asked her friends to phone her in an hour if they hadn’t heard from her.

One minute later she texted them with the message “Love You XX” and that was the last message she ever sent.

The group didn’t hear from Maddie again and tried texting and calling her on numerous occasions that evening.

Abbie even tried to call Mr Green’s phone and left a message at 10.10pm that evening to check everything was OK.

The following morning, 27 August they continued trying to get in touch with their friend but got no reply so they contacted Maddie’s mum Rachel.

Abbie added: "I started to think they had made up. It was not like her not to respond.

"I tried calling Ben and sent a text. I did not want to cause an issue for Maddie. The next day, I tried calling again but no answer."

At 1.30pm that day, officers were called to the house where he had moved shortly before the killing to do a welfare check.

They found Mr Green in the kitchen in a pool of blood and Maddie upstairs on the bed. Both were pronounced dead at the scene.

Senior coroner for Northamptonshire Anne Pember broke down when the inquest was told how the loss of Maddie had left her mum heartbroken.

Rachel Durdant-Hollamby said her daughter had grown up loving dancing and said the pair had many ‘cherished mother and daughter moments’ before her son Fabian was born.

The court was told how Maddie doted on her baby brother, even changing his nappy and looking after him while her mum got on with household tasks.

‘She was just perfect’

Rachel said in a statement read in court: "Maddie was incredibly generous and enjoyed nothing better than spoiling her family and friends.

"I feel as though our lives have been destroyed, ripped apart. I can’t quite see a way forward

"There is a huge hole in our lives, I want to be a family of four again. She was just perfect.

"I’m trying to keep it together for Fabian. I want the rest of his childhood to be as great as Maddie’s was.”

She said she felt robbed of helping Maddie choose her wedding dress, of picking out furniture with her for her house, and of kissing her babies.

Rachel added: "I just miss her.

"There’s a huge hole in our lives where Maddie should be. She was just perfect and loving. We want her back.

“We were best friends. She’ll always be my best friend. My heart is broken."

Maddie began seeing Mr Green at Christmas 2019 after they met at the marketing firm where her dad Steve Durdant-Hollamby worked.

While Mr Green was waiting for his house to be built, he even lived with Maddie’s family for five weeks, befriending her dad and going out on runs with him.

Mum Rachel said she didn’t notice anything amiss with the relationship, and hadn’t spotted any abusive behaviour.

‘This is the saddest case I’ve ever heard’

Recording a verdict of unlawful killing, senior Northamptonshire coroner Anne Pember became emotional and had to pause.

She said: “In my 27 years as coroner I think this is the saddest case I’ve ever heard.

"I can’t imagine your pain at the loss of your daughter. I am truly sorry for your loss."

A separate inquest then took place into the death of Mr Green in which the coroner concluded that he took his own life.

The hearing was told he was married for ten years and had three children before his marriage broke down in 2007.

He had an amicable relationship with his former wife who, when she heard about the deaths said: “He wouldn’t hurt a fly.”

His brother Thomas Green told the court: “Ben is not violent. I think he would have reached out before doing something like that. It’s come as a big shock.”

The inquest ruled a verdict of Unlawful killing/suicide.