The Met Said Lessons Were Learned
Edward’s Case Proves They Weren’t
By Jade Blue
I sat through Edward Cornes’s inquest, and I’ve never felt such anger, frustration or sadness listening to police failures set out so starkly. A young man died in suspicious circumstances, and the investigation he deserved simply never happened.
Key evidence lost. Witnesses never interviewed. Conflicting accounts left unchallenged. And, once again, harmful assumptions about sexuality shaping the narrative instead of facts. If the police aren’t taking a case like this seriously - a bright 19-year-old found dead, with two key witnesses giving inconsistent accounts - what hope is there for anyone seeking justice?
Edward’s family have had to fight for every scrap of information, every answer, every correction to the damaging story imposed on him. Their strength is extraordinary, but they should never have been put in this position.
And we need to say it plainly: nothing has been learned from the Stephen Port case. The warning signs were there. The patterns were there. The prejudices were there. And still, nothing changed.
The Times, Youtube
Campaign context: Give bereaved families the right to be heard
Alongside this feature sits a growing campaign calling for bereaved families to have the legal right to request a police reinvestigation when a homicide case is dropped without proper justification.
After Edward was found dead aged just 19, his case was closed by police with no clear explanation, leaving his family without answers or any meaningful route to challenge the decision. Too many families across the UK face the same reality: investigations ended prematurely, often without transparency or accountability.
The campaign calls for legislative reform that allows families to request a reinvestigation by a different police force, helping prevent bias, restore accountability, and rebuild trust in the justice system. Every life deserves equal value - and every family deserves the right to be heard.
Click the image to sign the petition and share.
Further listening: Are the police still institutionally homophobic?
These issues are explored in depth in The Crime Agents episode Are the police still institutionally homophobic? (21 January 2026).
Andy and Neil examine whether policing has meaningfully changed following the Casey Review’s finding that the Metropolitan Police is “institutionally homophobic”. The episode features Miriam Blythe, who speaks powerfully about the failures in the investigation into her son’s death and why she believes Edward’s sexuality influenced how his case was handled.
Watch MET Police whistleblower Issy Vine speak on Edward’s case - via her Instagram
Whistleblower Issy Vine has also spoken publicly about Edward’s case, helping expose investigative failures and institutional issues that families are too often left to uncover alone. Her testimony adds further weight to calls for independent oversight and meaningful routes to challenge police decisions.
