Overview
- Britain’s police watchdog has begun an independent probe into complaints about how the Metropolitan Police investigated the 2021 death of 19-year-old student Edward Cornes and handled the later inquest.
- The case was deemed non-suspicious after a coroner ruled a drug-related death, with a post-mortem finding high levels of alcohol, GHB and crystal meth, and two men in their 50s arrested then released without charge.
- Reported failings include lost hotel CCTV, a misplaced blood sample from one of the men, and toxicology tests delayed until 2023, which matters because GHB can become hard to detect within hours.
- The family says officers smeared Cornes at the inquest by calling him a dealer and used homophobic tropes, while the Met has admitted parts of its work fell below standards, apologized for distress and pledged to support the watchdog.
- The family, represented by Hudgell Solicitors, is pressing for a fresh investigation by an independent force, citing lessons from the Stephen Port case that raised concerns about how LGBTQ+ victims are treated by police.