Met Police re-examine student’s death after admitting investigation ‘not handled correctly’
The death of a 19-year-old student who was found with two older men in a hotel room will be reviewed after the Met Police admitted the investigation “did not meet the high standards we expected”.
Edward Cornes died on October 13, 2021, less than 48 hours after his parents dropped him off at University College London to study history.
He was found dead in a basement room of the Goodwood Hotel in King’s Cross, where post-mortem examination discovered large quantities of alcohol, GHB, commonly known as the “date-rape” drug, and crystal methamphetamine in his system.
Two men in their fifties were arrested on suspicion of murder before the case was dropped.
His family accused officers of focusing on Edward’s sexuality, failing to interview key witnesses, and losing security cameras and evidence samples.
The family also accused the police of taking a homophobic approach to the case; This approach allegedly included telling his parents that “anything can happen during male-on-male sex” and repeatedly questioning his drug use.
An inquest heard Edward spent the last few hours of his life with Matthew Butler, 55, and Ian Casmir, 58, and met them while drunk.
The two men did not call an ambulance until 11am the next morning, even though death had already begun and the man is believed to have died several hours earlier.
Both men gave different explanations and denied any wrongdoing.
During the investigation, Miriam Blythe and Robert Cornes claim they were asked whether they knew their son was gay, that he was on drugs, asked “why did you send him to King’s Cross” and asked why there was money in his bank account. This money formed part of the inheritance he inherited from his recently deceased uncle.
They claim that after the murder investigation was dropped, two CID officers told them that “homosexuals were always buying trays of drugs” and “kicking boys off fire escapes”.
Although his family requested a verdict of unlawful death based on the administration of GHB at his inquest, the coroner concluded the death was drug-related, with no evidence of assault.
Following the family’s complaints, a serious case investigation was conducted in 2023 and 27 faults were identified. The Independent Office for Police Conduct also launched an investigation.
A Met spokesman said in a statement: “We apologize for the pain caused to Edward’s family by the conduct of our investigation. We accept that some aspects of the initial investigation were not handled correctly and did not meet the high standards we expected.”
“We later met with Edward’s family to personally apologize and acknowledge the distress caused by our actions.
“Specialist officers are currently reviewing the original investigation into Edward’s death and the circumstances surrounding it to determine whether there are any further possible investigations.
“We are in contact with the family and will continue to keep them updated as our work progresses.
“If you have any information about this case please email us at opthrupp@met.police.uk. Anonymous reports can be forwarded to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”
