Call reporting murder marked as hoax by police

A violent abuser was reported to police for murder days after killing one of his victims but the call was marked as a hoax, an investigation has found.

Naomi Hunte and Fiona Holm were killed by handyman Carl Cooper who had been in a relationship with each of them, about a year apart. The women had both told the Met about his violence before they died.

Misconduct notices have been served on 10 Met Police officers who had contact with the women, broadening an inquiry by the police watchdog that started two years ago.

Cooper was jailed for life in 2024 for stabbing Hunte, 41, and killing Holm, 48, whose body has never been found.

During Cooper's murder trial, Woolwich Crown Court heard Hunte made a number of calls to police in 2020 and 2021 and told them Cooper was "obsessed" with her.

In a police call-out to her home on 29 June 2021, she told officers Cooper "stalks me and I'm really scared now".

Holm also made a complaint against Cooper for assault in April 2023.

Cooper was arrested following the attack but not charged, the Met said.

Holm, of Catford, south-east London, is believed to have died about two months later.

A review into the management of her complaint concluded "a more thorough investigation could have identified key witnesses, who could have provided strong evidence for a victimless prosecution against Cooper".

Four officers were placed under investigation in 2024.

In a statement released through their solicitor, the families of both victims said the women were "failed by the Met" and their deaths were preventable.

"We are trying to make changes so that the same doesn't happen to another woman of colour," they said.

"All of us have been raising our concerns about police failures from the start and were not taken seriously by the police or the IOPC (Independent Office for Police Conduct).

"We are tired of hearing that lessons have been learned when we don't see that they have."

The IOPC, which launched the investigation, said five officers were now being investigated in relation to police actions following Holm's report to the Met in April 2023 that Cooper assaulted her.

A detective sergeant and a detective constable were being investigated for potential gross misconduct while a detective inspector and two police constables for potential misconduct.

Separately, three police constables and a police sergeant are being investigated for potential gross misconduct over reports Hunte made to the Met about Cooper in April and October 2021.

A police constable is also being investigated for potential misconduct over a call made to the control centre that reported a murder which mentioned Cooper in June 2023. It was marked as a hoax call. Several days later, Holm was reported missing.

IOPC director Amanda Rowe said the investigation began following referrals in October 2024 from the Met following complaints made by the families of both victims, alleging serious shortcomings in the force's investigations before their deaths.

"The serving of conduct notices does not necessarily mean disciplinary proceedings will follow," she said.

"At the end of our investigation, we will decide whether any officers should face misconduct proceedings.

"All parties have been kept informed of developments in the investigation."

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