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Topics: Crime, London, UK News, no-article-matching
Emily Brown
The partner of a man who was murdered by 'Grindr Killer' Stephen Port has spoken out following the resignation of Met Police commissioner Cressida Dick.
Dame Cressida announced she would be stepping down from the role yesterday, February 10, following news of misogyny, discrimination and sexual harassment within the force.
Ricky Waumsley, who lost his boyfriend Daniel Whitworth to serial killer Port, has made clear that he supports the news after previously calling for Dame Cressida to quit in December, when an inquest jury found that police failures had likely contributed to the deaths of Whitworth and two other victims of Port.
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The killer, who met his victims via apps such as Grindr, was sentenced to life in prison after being found to have drugged, raped and killed four men between June 2014 and September 2015 in east London, as well as sexually assaulting more than a dozen others.
In a statement cited by the Metro, Waumsley commented: 'When I was let down by the Met police because of their blatant homophobia towards the four victims that Stephen Port killed, and the inquest concluded that the Met failures “probably” contributed to their deaths, I held Cressida accountable for these failures and made a statement that she should “resign with immediate effect”. So I am glad.'
He added: 'This will be a small justice for the four victims and I hope more resignations within the Met police will come.’
Waumsley also accused Dame Cressida of having 'clung on to that position so tight when, all around her, the officers she was in charge of have been racist, homophobic and sexist.'
Inquests into the deaths of the four victims found that officers had failed to gather basic evidence such as examining Port’s laptop, testing DNA on the bedsheets where two of the bodies were found, and checking the veracity of a fake suicide note found alongside Whitworth’s body.
A total of 17 officers were investigated by the police watchdog, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), and though nine officers were found to have performance failings not one of them was disciplined or lost their jobs. Following the deaths, five of the officers had been promoted.
Assistant Commissioner Helen Ball issued an apology on behalf of the Met for the failings, but denied families' claims that homophobia had played a part.
Dame Cressida said in a statement yesterday that she is 'incredibly proud' of what the Met has achieved during her time as commissioner, but that London mayor Sadiq Khan had made 'clear' that he 'no longer has sufficient confidence in [her] leadership to continue', leaving her with 'no choice but to step aside'.
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence, contact the LGBT Foundation on 0345 3 30 30 30, 10am–6pm Monday to Friday, or email [email protected]