'Dangerous, violent' domestic abuser found guilty of the murder of two 'vibrant, sociable' women
A' dangerous' and 'violent' domestic abuser has been found guilty of the murder of two women he killed in 2022 and 2023. Carl Cooper, 66, murdered Naomi Hunte, 41, and Fiona Holm, 48, while on bail for Naomi's murder after using coercive and controlling methods to target and abuse them both.
Fiona's body is still yet to be found by police as Cooper cruelly refused to tell police where she is to allow her family to bury her. A £20,000 police reward for information leading to her remains being found is currently live.
Naomi was found stabbed to death by a neighbour in her Woolwich home in Congleton Grove on Monday, February 14, 2022. The neighbour noticed her front door was open at 8.25pm and went inside to check on her. She was sadly pronounced dead at the scene.
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Detective Chief Inspector Kate Blackburn, of the Met’s Specialist Crime Command, said: “Carl Cooper is a dangerous, violent domestic abuser who preys on women with vulnerabilities. He took the lives of two vibrant, sociable women who were so very loved by their families and friends. Naomi and Fiona are in my thoughts today.”
A post-mortem revealed a stab wound was the cause of Naomi's death. A murder investigation was launched by the Met Police and found that all signs of Naomi being alive stopped in the early hours of February 10, 2022 - four days before she was found. Her mobile phone and her bank account were inactive from that evening.
Mobile phone data and CCTV footage revealed Cooper was in the area of Naomi's flat at this time on February 9 and 10. He was arrested on suspicion of her murder on February 18 and in a police interview admitted he was with Naomi on February 10 but claimed she took drugs and began to act strangely so he left.
On the evening of February 10, when Naomi was already dead, Cooper made a call to Naomi's mobile phone - the call was not answered and he did not leave a message.
Cooper was then released on bail as there was insufficient evidence for the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) to charge him. The investigation continued over the next year but during this time, Cooper murdered Fiona Holm in June 2023.
He was in a relationship with Fiona at the time who lived in Blackheath. She was reported as a missing person on June 29, 2023 and her case was immediately classified as a murder investigation because of her links to Cooper. He was arrested on suspicion of Fiona's murder on July 11, 2023 and on July 13, 2023, he was charged with the murders of both Naomi and Fiona.
The last sighting of Fiona was at an off-license in Verdant Lane, Bromley, at shortly before 11pm on Tuesday, June 20, and police have never found any further footage or images of her after this time. Cooper went to great lengths to hide her still unfound remains and clean evidence of her murder but the court heard that Fiona's blood was found all over his flat.
"My greatest regret will always be that there wasn’t sufficient evidence to charge him earlier"
DCI Blackburn added: “This has been a long and complex investigation and I would like to sincerely thank the families of Naomi and Fiona for their unwavering support throughout both investigations. They have sat through court and heard the most difficult of information about the deaths of women they deeply loved. I cannot begin to understand the pain they will experience forever.
“While I am relieved that he will be incarcerated in a place where he poses no threat to women, my greatest regret will always be that there wasn’t sufficient evidence to charge him earlier.
“I am pleased that the evidence presented allowed the jury to see the true nature of Carl Cooper, who had gone to great lengths to remove traces of Fiona’s blood from his flat. It was shocking for the court to discover her blood was on various items in his flat, including a wifi router, the television, living room walls, and on the curtains.
"The trial being over does not mean that our efforts to find Fiona will stop. Despite Cooper cruelly denying Fiona’s family the opportunity to bury her, my team and I are, and will remain, committed to finding Fiona and returning her to her family. We also will continue to investigate the possibility that Cooper had help to remove Fiona’s body, and will arrest and charge those I have sufficient evidence to do so.”
Carl Cooper, of Broadfield Road, Hither Green, appeared at Woolwich Crown Court accused of the murders of Naomi Hunte and Fiona Holm. On Friday, June 28, the jury found him guilty of both murders. He will be sentenced on Tuesday, July 2 at the same court.
Anyone who has information which could aid the search for Fiona is asked to contact police or give information anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
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