A FORMER Gwent Police officer "trapped" his ex-girlfriend in a "controlling and coercive" relationship, a misconduct hearing heard yesterday.

The panel heard how Clarke Joslyn put his former partner, referred to in proceedings as Witness D, through months of controlling behaviour, including making verbal threats, constantly monitoring her phone and social media accounts, and intimidating her with an air rifle.

Witness D is one of several women to have made allegations about Mr Joslyn, who handed in his resignation as a police officer when misconduct proceedings were initially begun in November 2018.

Those proceedings were adjourned on medical grounds but resumed on January 30. Mr Joslyn denies all charges.

At the resumption of proceedings, the panel heard that Mr Joslyn had again (on January 29) made an application for proceedings to be adjourned.

And at the hearing on January 30, Mr Joslyn was not present.

Mr Chris Daw QC, representing Gwent Police, said the number of attempts made by Mr Joslyn to halt proceedings was "ludicrous".

The panel decided to continue the hearing with Mr Joslyn not present, and said it would publish its reasons for doing so later in the proceedings.

Mr Daw told the panel that over several years, Mr Joslyn had misconducted himself with regard to his treatment of women, including Witness D.

Mr Daw said Joslyn had at times told Witness D not to answer her phone, insulted her disabled relative, badgered the witness when she wanted to spend time with her family, and sent numerous texts, calls and cards to her after she ended the relationship.

The panel heard how one such card had read: "Be sure your sins will find you out."

Mr Daw said Mr Joslyn had also made physical threats against Witness D – telling her he would "end her" if she ever humiliated him, and repeatedly putting his arm around her, without her consent, and making references to "choking" her.

This amounted to "fixated and obsessive behaviour", Mr Daw said.

Mr Daw said Mr Joslyn had been a police officer for 26 years and had impressed fellow officers and supervisors at the time.

But this case was not about Mr Joslyn's competence as a police officer, Mr Daw added.

Rather it was whether his actions had amounted to gross misconduct.

Mr Daw added that some of the allegations against Mr Joslyn were criminal in nature, and that the case against Mr Joslyn would show the former officer was a "dangerous and serial abuser of women".

But the panel also heard from police officer Tony Patey, who in a written submission on January 29 said there was no evidence Mr Joslyn had behaved "anything other than admirably" to previous partners.

Later, the panel saw video testimony from when Witness D originally reported Mr Joslyn to the police.

In that video, Witness D recalled to officers months of turbulence as Mr Joslyn yo-yoed between humiliating his then-girlfriend and later making her feel like the couple's problems were all her fault.

"He'd try to make me feel awful," the witness said. "There were constant games."

She added: "I was keeping him sweet for an easy life. I was stepping on eggshells."

Witness D also recounted how Mr Joslyn kept producing an "air rifle-type gun" in his home, despite her protestations. One day, she said, she looked up from the TV to find him pointing it at her and smirking.

After breaking up with him, Witness D told officers in 2012 that Mr Joslyn became a "stalker".

"He was everywhere," she said. "He kept saying 'this is fate – we're meant to be together if we we keep bumping into each other.'"

Speaking in person to the panel on January 30, Witness D said her alleged experiences with Mr Joslyn still made her anxious.

"I don't feel like I've had any closure," she said. "I think about it every day."

Proceeding.