Mr Maddox-Smith was a member of the Board of Miami Modes who came to Elsie Tanner’s November 1969 trial on a charge of stealing from the store. He was there at the request of Mr Palmer, Elsie’s lawyer, and was willing to give a character witness for her, having known her for many years since his days as a buyer for the “Better Dressed” department. In the end, his statement was not needed as the matter was dropped because of insufficient evidence. However the matter raised was not cleared as there were slight contradictions between Elsie’s evidence and that of her supposed friend Dot Greenhalgh - the true culprit.