Met police officer who hid his secret family and used false identity to dupe woman into abusive relationship is guilty of gross misconduct
A married Met Police officer who used a false identity to manipulate a TV presenter into an 'abusive' relationship has been found guilty of gross misconduct.
Jackie Adedeji, 32, who has worked on projects for the BBC and Channel 4, was 22 when she met then-38-year-old PC Ian Steel on a night out in June 2016.
She told a gross misconduct hearing this week how Steel user her 'to fulfil his racialised sexual fantasy' and abused his position to 'groom and manipulate' her into the sexual relationship.
Ms Adedeji previously told the Daily Mail how Steel gave her a fake name when they met by chance in Shoreditch, shortly after she had graduated university.
The officer did not tell her his true identity or that he had a long-term partner with a son throughout their relationship, during which she described being subjected to abuse and coercive control.
Yesterday a Met misconduct panel found that Steel, who is no longer a serving officer, committed gross misconduct and would have been dismissed had he not already resigned.
Ms Adedeji told the Daily Mail: 'Today is the start of my new life'.
She said: 'I can be free of something that has impacted me for 10 years. It was the biggest fight my life, and if I had to do it all again I would.
Jackie Adedeji, 32, who has worked on projects for the BBC and Channel 4 , was 22 when she met then-38-year-old PC Ian Steel on a night out in June 2016
PC Ian Steel used a fake name and lied about having no family to lure Ms Adedeji into a coercive relationship. He has now been found guilty of misconduct
'They [the panel] believed me and that was really important. They understand the gravity and the seriousness of what he did.'
Ms Adedeji, who has waived her right to anonymity, told how Steel introduced himself as an undercover police officer named 'Dan' and insisted on obtaining her number.
The officer then pursued a romantic relationship with her that lasted more than two years, and saw the officer frequently call her to meet him while he was on duty.
She told the hearing they once engaged in sexual activity while Steel was on shift - something he denied, but the panel found all allegations against him proven.
Ms Adedeji said she first became concerned when the officer refused to take photographs with her and even told her to duck and hide when in his car on their first date.
A pattern of 'manipulative' behaviour soon emerged, she told the Mail, including him confiscating her phone to delete all messages between them and frequently texting her to find out where she was.
The officer would interrogate her about what she had told her friends and family about him, and told her to stop listening to them.
She said Steel referred to her as 'the black girl' to friends and gave her the nickname 'Diamond' - a reference to a porn star.
Ms Adedeji, who has waived her right to anonymity, told how Steel introduced himself as an undercover police officer named 'Dan' and insisted on obtaining her number
'The relationship became really coercive and sexually exploitative,' Jackie said.
'He stripped me of my innocence and preyed on my naivety. He took advantage of me.
'He was constantly asking me for naked photos of myself, telling me he was a police officer and I could trust him.
'He would ask to meet me all the time when he was out working and would make sure to meet out of sight of CCTV cameras to perform sex acts.'
'He was very manipulative, our relationship was very confusing,' she added.
'If I ever asked to see his police ID he'd refuse and make out I was a "firecracker" who "had a temper". I was scared.
'He was making me feel like what he wanted me to do was what I wanted too. He kept telling me he couldn't trust me and made me question myself and what I was feeling.
'I tried to leave him loads of times but he always found a way to make us get back together.'
Ms Adedeji first reported Steel's behaviour to the Independent Office for Police Conduct in November 2023.
She says she was initially told the allegations against Steel were difficult to prove due to his shift patterns not lining up with times she had met him while he was on duty.
But after queries from lawyers over Christmas, Ms Adedeji said police realised they had been examining the records of the wrong PC Ian Steel.
The hearing was held by City of London Police after Steel transferred to the force from the Met in 2022.
He resigned before a separate disciplinary hearing in 2024, which found him guilty of gross misconduct in relation to text messages he sent to a teenage girl who he had helped home from a party in 2010.
Now Ms Adedeji's case is over, she hopes to help other women who have been victims of misconduct.
'You’re not just dealing with a force, you’re dealing with a culture,' she said.
'I would love to help other women to get justice. And I'm so excited for my new life'.
Chief Superintendent Sanjay Andersen, head of professionalism and trust for the City of London Police, said: 'We also acknowledge how difficult and lengthy this process has been for her, and we are grateful for the courage it took to come forward and see it through.
'The findings of gross misconduct reflect behaviour that falls far below the standards the public rightly expect from police officers.'
