David Gikawa was found guilty of murdering Linah Keza by stabbing her to death in her home in Leyton on 31st July 2013. In the days before her murder, Linah Keza had contacted the police on numerous occasions seeking assistance.
Dan Hobbs presented the case against three officers involved in the case of Linah Keza on behalf of the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis in a hearing directed by the IOPC. He argued that the three officers had failed in their duties and responsibilities and that one of the officers had also lied to an IOPC investigator.
In issuing final written warnings against each of the officers, the misconduct panel identified that two had failed to gather relevant evidence and had failed to act upon the positive duty of arrest that exists in domestic violence cases. The third officer was found to have failed in his role as ‘Harm Opportunity and Threat’ Sergeant by agreeing that David Gikawa could go to Linah Keza’s home, without a police escort, to collect the remainder of his belongings. He had thereafter lied about the advice he had given to avoid getting into serious trouble.