Dear Sistah Space family,
This weekend, Sistah Space will be standing alongside the families of Naomi Hunte and Fiona Holm, two Black women murdered by the same man. We're writing today to ask you to stand with us.
What happened
On Valentine's Day 2022, Naomi Hunte, 41, was found stabbed to death at her home in Woolwich. In the months and years before her murder, she had made repeated calls to police about Cooper, telling them he was obsessed with her, that he was stalking her, that she was scared.
Cooper was arrested on suspicion of her murder. He was released on bail.
While on bail, he began a relationship with Fiona Holm. Fiona was 48, from Catford, and had a learning disability. Officers had previously been told Cooper had attacked her with a screwdriver. He was interviewed. The case was closed.
In June 2023, Fiona disappeared.
Her family, including her sister Elise Skillen and her daughter Savannah Holm-Aderemi, spent two weeks pleading with police to take her disappearance seriously. Officers noted that Cooper had repainted the outside of his windows and had been seen burning items in his garden. They were told, "Well, it's not a crime to burn rubbish in your garden."
An anonymous call, made days after Fiona's murder, told police that Cooper had killed her. It was marked as a hoax. The family understand the caller had a Jamaican accent.
It was Fiona's own family who found the evidence that led to Cooper's arrest, catching him at his home in the act of selling her clothes.
Fiona's body has still not been found.
"She wasn't important to them"
At Cooper's trial in July 2024, the court heard how both women had reported his controlling and coercive behaviour, and how, after Fiona disappeared, he had stripped his living room of curtains, carpets and wallpaper.
Ten officers are now facing potential misconduct proceedings through the Independent Office for Police Conduct.
The Met has apologised. Cdr Paul Brogden, head of Homicide Command, said officers "made mistakes" and that the force is "extremely sorry."
But apology is not accountability. And it is not change.
Naomi's father, Basil Hunte, put it plainly:
"She wasn't important to them. If it was a white person, a white young female, they would have got that man probably put away at the time. But she was just another black girl, so who cares?"
Fiona's daughter Savannah asked: "Making good progress for what? Doing what? Because I ain't seen nothing. It's excuses after excuses after excuses."
This weekend marks three years since the Casey Review found the Metropolitan Police to be institutionally racist, misogynist, homophobic, and identified a culture of ableism in some units. Three years on, the Met is being reinspected under a new review chaired by Dr Gillian Fairfield, a review Sistah Space is engaging with directly.
The pattern is not new. From Valerie Forde, to Bibaa Henry and Nicole Smallman, to Naomi and Fiona: Black women are being failed by the officers who are supposed to protect them.
What you can do
Elise Skillen and Savannah Holm-Aderemi are launching a campaign, along with Naomi Hunte's family, calling for police accountability
The families of Naomi and Fiona, alongside Project Resist, have launched a campaign calling for:
A renewed search for Fiona's body, and for anyone with information to come forward
A radical overhaul of how the police handle domestic abuse and homicides
Recognition of the specific barriers Black and disabled women face in the criminal justice system, and accountability when officers fail to follow their own guidance
Robust disciplinary measures where there are clear failures in investigation or supervision
This campaign is led by Project Resist, a grassroots organisation campaigning for the rights of Black and minoritised women. You can find more information here.
Join us this weekend
Sistah Space will be standing with the families and with Project Resist as they launch their campaign for justice and accountability.
Sunday 12 July • 2:30 PM - 4:30 PM
If you are worried about someone in an abusive relationship, or if you yourself are not safe at home, we are here. You do not have to face this alone. Find our services and contact details at sistahspace.org.
In solidarity,
Ngozi Fulani
Founder, Sistah Space
P.S. If you can only do one thing today, share this email. The more people who see what happened to Naomi and Fiona, the harder it becomes for the Met to keep failing Black women.