Friends of two women murdered by a man they repeatedly complained about to police have demanded “heads roll” with the Metropolitan Police.
‘Evil’ handyman Carl Cooper is serving a life sentence for murdering his 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 a relationship with Cooper and had complained to police about his violence before she died.
Naomi was stabbed to death and found on her couch in 2022 and Fiona disappeared in June 2023, but her body was never found.
Naomi Hunte (pictured) was stabbed to death by Carl Cooper and found on her sofa in 2022
Fiona Holm (pictured) disappeared from Hither Green, south-east London, and is believed to have died on June 20, 2023, two months after she reported to the Metropolitan Police that Cooper had attacked her.
Pictured: The last known sighting of Fiona Holm without a license in Catford, south London, on June 20, 2023.
In February 2022, Naomi was found stabbed to death in her apartment in Greenwich, southeast London.
She had made several calls to police over the previous two years, telling them Cooper was stalking and harassing her.
She told police Cooper had been “obsessed” with her.
Cooper was arrested on suspicion of murder but released on bail under investigation.
He then murdered Fiona, who disappeared from Hither Green 16 months later. He is believed to have died on June 20, 2023, two months after reporting GBH’s complaint to the Met.
The Met said four officers are under investigation for misconduct in relation to a GBH complaint made by Fiona in April 2023.
The case has sparked fury between the two families and the south-east London communities in which they lived.
A friend of Fiona told MailOnline: ‘It’s an absolutely heartbreaking situation.
‘Fiona and Naomi were let down again and again. It’s horrible.
Carl Cooper was sentenced to life in prison in July for the murders of Naomi Hunte, 41, and Fiona Holm, 48. Both were previously in a relationship with him and had warned police about his violence.
Ms Hunte, who had not been seen alive for several days, was found partially clothed with a single stab wound to the chest in February 2022.
“It has left us all with a sick feeling in the pit of our stomachs. How was this allowed to happen?
‘How many warnings did The Met need?
‘I have no confidence in them as a police force. All you hear and read are negative stories and bad experiences.
‘Heads should roll. The officers who defrauded them should be fired.”
The woman, holding back tears, said she would remember Fiona “forever.”
He added: “She was an angel. She was a beautiful light in the world. I can’t imagine a more cruel way to be taken. It’s devastating.”
A neighbor of Noemí said: ‘I miss her a lot. It’s terrible.
‘How can that be allowed to happen?’
Retired Met Police detective Peter Bleksley said it was a “heartbreaking case” with “appalling police failures”.
Ms Holm’s daughter Savannah posted a photo of her mother on Facebook on July 3, 2023, urging anyone who saw or heard anything to let her know.
And he added: ‘How many times are we going to hear the words lessons learned?
‘How many more cases like this will there be? “What happened is monstrous.”
Speaking outside court after the hearing, Detective Constable Kate Blackburn of the Met, said: “Despite Cooper callously denying Fiona’s family the opportunity to bury her, we will remain committed to finding Fiona and returning her to her family.”
He added that a police reward of £20,000 was being offered for information leading to the recovery of Ms Holm’s remains and appealed to anyone with information to come forward.
‘Carl Cooper is a violent and dangerous domestic abuser who preys on vulnerable women.
‘He took the lives of two vibrant, outgoing women who were much loved by their family and friends.
“Today I think about Naomi and Fiona.”
A Met spokesperson told Mail Online: ‘Four officers are under investigation for misconduct in relation to Fiona Holm’s April 2023 GBH complaint.
‘This was referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct and they recommended that it should be a local investigation. Our conclusions will be reviewed by the IOPC.’
