Man convicted of murder in Tower Hamlets Park Cemetery

The trial for the murder of Ranjith ‘Roy’ Kankanamalage has concluded at the Old Bailey. A man, Erik Feld, was convicted of his murder at the Old Bailey earlier today. Sentencing will be at a later date.

Ranjith was violently attacked by Feld in the Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park in August 2021. This had caused major concerns among the local residents and the LGBT+ community. Feld was charged after his DNA was found under the murdered man’s fingernails. We have since learnt that Feld had an obsession with hammer attacks and videos of such violent assaults. During the trial, he had an outburst of homophobic slurs directed at the public gallery. This reinforces the perception among the LGBT+ people that this was a homophobic attack.

Ranjith came to London to make a new life some time ago from Sri Lanka – a country where a legal sanctions and harsh prejudice against LGBTQ+ people still exists. Our condolences extend to his grown up children, his former husband and his wider family and friends. The violence he was subjected to was unconscionable, and we welcome the verdict.

We worked closely with the local police and the homicide team to ensure that they incorporated learning arising from how the Met initially mishandled murders perpetrated by Stephen Port. At a time when trust and confidence is at an all time low, we will continue to provide robust independent advice to improve the police service delivered to LGBTQ+ Londoners in all our diversity.

 

Cultural Challenges at the Metropolitan Police: LGBT+ community meeting

The Metropolitan Police Service has come under a lot of scrutiny in the last year on their interaction with the diverse communities in London. This includes the handling of the murders of Anthony Walgate, Gabriel Kovari, Daniel Whitworth and Jack Taylor in East London. The IOPC investigation into police conduct continues.

In addition, the MPS is also under review by the HMICFRS (statutory inspectorate of the emergency services). They also invited Baroness Louise Casey to conduct a review of cultural issues within the organisation.

Commander Jonathan Savell will be attending to listen to your concerns and to answer questions.

This event is organised by the LGBT+ Advisory Group to the Metropolitan Police. 

This will be an in-person event. 

Date: Tuesday 8th November, 6.30pm-8pm

Please register on Eventbrite.

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/cultural-challenges-at-the-metropolitan-police-the-lgbt-perspective-tickets-432987436077

 

The LGBT+ Advisory Group would like to invite applications to join our group

Our recruitment round is now closed. 

We are a voluntary group of independent advisors to the Metropolitan Police. We have been working for over twenty years to make sure that they listen to community concerns and to provide advice on individual operations and on their strategic planning.

More than ever, the police needs advice from the many communities in London that they serve. We want to strengthen our own membership to reflect the diverse lived experiences of LGBT+ people in the city.

We are seeking members who are keen to see better policing for our communities and are willing to work with us to advise the police on LGBT+ issues.

If you are interested in joining the group, please send us a brief statement (no more than one side of A4) with your experience and how you think you can contribute. We can also meet up (in person or online) if you are curious about joining the group and would like to find out more.

Email: recruitment@lgbtag.org.uk

 

IOPC announces re-opening of investigation into the MPS handling of the Barking & Dagenham murders

The LGBT Advisory Group welcomes the IOPC decision to re-open their investigation into the MPS handling of these cases.

 
We are continuing to make sure  community concerns are heard by the police, highlight shortcomings and push for improvements in the service offered to the LGBT+ community.
 
We are working with the MPS to implement the recommendations of the IOPC and the coroner. We are pushing for resources for more proactive community engagement in the boroughs, more consistent access to independent advice throughout the MPS and most importantly a culture shift in all ranks of the MPS.
 
We are also assisting in Baroness Casey’s review of the culture within the MPS and the HMIFRCS review.

 

IOPC announcement due soon on re-opening of investigation into the MPS handling of the Barking & Dagenham murders

We have received an update from the IOPC (Independent Office for Police Conduct) regarding their investigation into the handling of the deaths of Anthony Walgate, Gabriel Kovari, Daniel Whitworth and Jack Taylor. 

They have been considering re-opening their investigation in the light of the coroner's inquest that completed last December.  They will be announcing their decision via their website on Thursday 23rd June.

 

IOPC close to decision on re-opening of investigation into the MPS handling of the Barking & Dagenham murders

We have received an update from the IOPC (Independent Office for Police Conduct) regarding their investigation into the handling of the deaths of Anthony Walgate, Gabriel Kovari, Daniel Whitworth and Jack Taylor. 

They have been considering re-opening their investigation in the light of the coroner's inquest that completed last December.  The LGBT+ Advisory Group has written to the IOPC in support of further investigation if new evidence has emerged from the coroner's inquest. 

The team has completed their initial assessment. The assessment report will be sent to the relevant decision makers by the end of this week. They expect a decision to be made by Monday 21st March. 

Because of this possible extension to their investigation, the IOPC have not made public their learning report and recommendations on this case. 

[Update/1 April 2022]

We have been informed that the "Initial Assessment" is complete and concluded there is "potential significant new information and potential material flaws in the original IPCC investigation". The IOPC is moving on to the next phase of "Review". 

A new team leader and lead investigator have been appointed. They will assess whether it is necessary to consult with affected parties. The new team will then report to the regional director for a "Final Decision".

We were not given a timeframe for the conclusion of these final phases.

 

IOPC update on the investigation into the MPS handling of the Barking & Dagenham murders

The IOPC regional director for London, Sal Naseem, attended our community meeting on 24th January on the deaths of Anthony Walgate, Gabriel Kovari, Daniel Whitworth and Jack Taylor. We asked him for an explanation of the process to decide whether to re-open the IOPC investigation into the MPS handling of the four murders. 

We have received more details this week. [ Full letter ]

The IOPC is aware that "some of the information coming to light was potentially new information". So, they have embarked on an "initial assessment" to see if there are "compelling reasons" to re-open the investigation. There are two criteria that must both be satisfied:

The first criterion:

(1a) There is significant new information that requires further investigation and a real possibility that the new information, had it been available, would have led wholly or partly to different decisions on discipline, performance and/or referral to the CPS;

OR (1b) The original [IOPC] investigation was flawed in a manner which had a material impact on subsequent decisions on discipline, performance and/or referral to the CPS.

The second criterion: 

(2) It is necessary to require a reinvestigation in the public interest.

They are at this "initial assessment" phase. They are unable to give a clear timescale for when this will be completed. 

It is clear that the community is impatient for progress. The LGBT+ Advisory Group will continue to press them for updates.