Family of gay student, Ed Cornes, accuse Met Police of 'homophobia' after his death

The family of 19‑year‑old university student Ed Cornes have accused the Metropolitan Police of a series of serious investigative failures - claiming institutional homophobia played a role - after he was found dead in a central London hotel in October 2021. 

Cornes, who had just begun his first term at University College London, was discovered in a basement room of a King’s Cross hotel only two days after starting university. According to the family, the police response left major questions unanswered and allowed crucial evidence to disappear. An internal review later identified 27 failings in the investigation.

Speaking to ITV, his mother, Miriam Blythe, said she lost all confidence in the Metropolitan Police after what she describes as a mishandled inquiry in which officers “focused on his sexuality” and failed to interview key witnesses. She noted that significant items of evidence - including CCTV footage, blood samples, and objects recovered from the hotel room - were lost within days. Further items reportedly went missing from a locked evidence room months later.

Blythe believes her son was too intoxicated to consent to taking any drugs the night he died, yet says police quickly defaulted to a narrative that he had overdosed. Her concerns echo findings from the 2023 Casey Review, which concluded the Metropolitan Police is institutionally homophobic - an assessment that has shaped broader criticism of its handling of cases involving LGBTQ+ victims. 

Cornes had left his halls of residence in the early hours and encountered a man, Matthew Butler, who took him to the hotel room where another man, Ian Casimir, was present. Hours later, Cornes was found dead with 36 cuts and other injuries, and high levels of GHB in his bloodstream. Both men were arrested on suspicion of murder but released without charge. Investigators later ruled out third‑party involvement, a conclusion upheld at inquest - though the Met has apologised for aspects of its handling of the case. 

Cornes’s best friend, Sam Price, supports the family’s view that prejudice influenced the investigation, claiming officers repeatedly scrutinised his lifestyle and sexuality instead of broader lines of inquiry. 

For the family, the circumstances bear troubling resemblance to the failures exposed in the Stephen Port murders, where assumptions about sexuality contributed to fatal investigative oversights. Cornes’s mother insists the Met must confront its approach: “There certainly is an element of homophobia… a ‘well, he got what he deserved’ attitude.” 

The Metropolitan Police maintain their investigation was extensive but acknowledge mistakes were made. The family continues to call for accountability and transparency, saying they still do not know how or why their son died.