How ‘evil’ handyman killed his two ex-girlfriends AFTER they told police he was stalking them… as victims’ families say ‘heads should roll’ at Met Police
Friends of two women murdered by a man they repeatedly complained about to police have demanded ‘heads roll’ at the Metropolitan Police.
‘Evil’ handyman Carl Cooper is serving a life sentence for the murders of ex-partners Naomi Hunte, 41, and Fiona Holm, 48, in two separate cases a year apart.
The 66-year-old has refused to tell detectives where Fiona’s body is hidden.
Both women had been in relationships with Cooper and had complained to police about his violence before their deaths.
Naomi was stabbed to death and found on her couch in 2022 and Fiona disappeared in June 2023, but her body has never been found.
Naomi Hunte (pictured) was stabbed to death by Carl Cooper in 2022 and found on her couch
Fiona Holm (pictured) went missing from Hither Green, south-east London and is believed to have died on June 20, 2023, two months after she reported Cooper had assaulted her to the Met Police.
Pictured: The last known sighting of Fiona Holm in an off-licence in Catford, South London, on June 20, 2023
In February 2022, Naomi was found stabbed to death in her flat in Greenwich, South East London.
She had made a number of calls to police over the past two years, telling officers that Cooper was stalking and harassing her.
She told police that Cooper was “obsessed” with her.
Cooper was arrested on suspicion of murder but was released on bail.
He then murdered Fiona, who went missing from Hither Green sixteen months later. She is believed to have died on June 20, 2023, two months after reporting the GBH complaint to the Met.
The Met said four officers are under investigation for misconduct relating to a GBH complaint made by Fiona in April 2023.
The case has sparked anger among the two families and the south-east London communities in which they lived.
A friend of Fiona’s told MailOnline: ‘It’s an absolutely distressing situation.
‘Fiona and Naomi were let down time and time again. It’s terrible.
Carl Cooper was jailed for life in July for the murders of Naomi Hunte, 41, and Fiona Holm, 48. Both had previously been in relationships with him and had alerted police to his violence
Ms Hunte, who had not been seen alive for several days, was found partially clothed in February 2022 with a single stab wound to the chest.
‘It has made us all sick to our stomachs. How could this happen?
‘How many warnings did the Met need?
‘I have no confidence in it as a police officer. All you hear and read are negative stories and bad experiences.
‘Heads must roll. The officers who failed them should be fired.”
The woman, holding back tears, said she would remember Fiona “forever.”
She added: “She was an angel. She was a beautiful light in the world. I can’t imagine a crueler way. It’s devastating.’
A neighbor of Naomi said: ‘I miss her very much. It’s terrible.
‘How can that happen?’
Retired Met police detective Peter Bleksley said it was a ‘distressing case’ with ‘appalling police errors’.
Ms Holm’s daughter Savannah posted a photo of her mother on Facebook on July 3, 2023, calling on anyone who saw or heard anything to let her know
He added: “How many times are we going to hear the words ‘lessons learned’?
‘How many more cases like this will there be? It’s monstrous what happened.”
Speaking outside the court after the hearing, Kate Blackburn, Det Ch Insp of the Met, said: ‘Despite Cooper cruelly denying Fiona’s family the chance to bury her, we will remain committed to finding Fiona and returning her to her family.’
She added that a £20,000 police reward was being offered for information leading to the recovery of Ms Holm’s remains and urged anyone with information to come forward.
‘Carl Cooper is a dangerous, violent domestic abuser who targets women with vulnerabilities.
‘He took the lives of two vibrant, sociable women who were so loved by their family and friends.
‘Naomi and Fiona are in my thoughts today.’
A Met spokesperson told Mail Online: ‘Four officers are under investigation for misconduct relating to Fiona Holm’s GBH complaint in April 2023.
‘This was referred to the Independent Office of Police Conduct and they advised that it should be a local investigation. Our findings will be assessed by the IOPC.”