Met Police re-examine student’s death after admitting investigation ‘not handled correctly’

Met Police re-examine student’s death after admitting investigation ‘not handled correctly’ Edward Cornes was found with large amounts of the date rape drug GHB in his system but police lost evidence and failed to interview witnesses - Bookmark The death of a 19-year-old student who was found in a hotel room with two older men is set to be re-examined, after the Met Police acknowledged their investigation “did not meet the high standards we expect”. Edward Cornes died on 13 October 2021, less than 48 hours after his parents dropped him off at University College London to study a history degree. He was discovered in a basement room at the Goodwood Hotel in King’s Cross, with a post-mortem examination discovering large amounts of alcohol, GHB, commonly known as the “date-rape” drug, and crystal meth in his system. Two men in their fifties were arrested on suspicion of murder, before the case was dropped. His parents have accused police officers of focusing on Edward’s sexuality and failing to interview crucial witnesses, as well as losing CCTV and evidence samples. The family have also accused the force of taking a homophobic approach to the case, which allegedly included telling his parents “with man-on-man sex anything can happen” and repeatedly questioning his drug use. An inquest heard that Edward had spent the last few hours of his life in the company of Matthew Butler, 55, and Ian Casmir, 58, having met them while drunk. The two men did not call an ambulance until 11am the next morning, despite the fact rigor mortis had already set in, and it is believed he died several hours earlier. Both men gave differing accounts and deny any wrongdoing. Over the course of the investigation, Miriam Blythe and her Robert Cornes claim they were asked if they knew their son was gay, that he consumed drugs, questioned “why did you send him to King’s Cross” and asked why he had money in his bank account – which had formed part of his inheritance from a recently deceased uncle. After the murder investigation was dropped, they claim two CID officers told them that “gays always take trays of drugs” and “smuggle boys through fire escapes”. Despite his family calling for an unlawful death verdict on the basis of administering of GHB at his inquest, the coroner concluded the death was drug-related with no evidence of assault. A serious case review was undertaken in 2023 upon complaints being made by the family, with 27 failings recognised, while the Independent Office for Police Conduct has launched an investigation. In a statement, a Met spokesperson said: “We apologise for the pain caused to Edward’s family through the handling of our investigation. We acknowledge that aspects of the initial investigation were not handled correctly and did not meet the high standards we expect. “We have since met with Edward’s family to apologise in person and recognise the distress our actions have caused. “Specialist officers are now reviewing the original investigation into Edward’s death and surrounding circumstances to determine if there are any possible further lines of enquiry. "We remain in contact with the family and will continue to keep them updated as our work progresses. “If you have any information relating to this case, please email us at [email protected]. Anonymous reports can be submitted to Crimestoppers via 0800 555 111.”