Met police officer 'stole cash from man's corpse' as his body lay on busy street for six hours
22 March 2024, 15:44 | Updated: 22 March 2024, 15:55
A Met police officer could be charged after allegedly stealing cash from a man's corpse while his body was left on a busy street for six hours before being moved.
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The alleged victim, Claudio Gaetani, 45, was left on a street in north London while officers waited for an undertaker to arrive.
He is said to have died from a heart attack during rush hour on September 8, 2022, having been cycling to meet an Italian couple he was staying with in Hornsey.
Mr Gaetani had only arrived from Italy the night before, with him due to attend a theatre festival in the Southbank, according to the Mirror.
Officers at the scene took his passport and wallet but allowed the couple he'd been staying with to take his bike and backpack.
The Met later launched an investigation after the wife went to collect his items and found that money was missing.
"The money is not the issue," the wife told the paper.
"Claudio comes from quite a wealthy family. I'm still doing this complaint not because of the money but because people who are in uniform they should have a kind of trust.
"I think it is really disrespectful. I was really, really upset."
Her husband said: "He was he type of person when you meet you can fall in love with, absolutely cheerful and positive, even with his physical condition of dwarfism he was never saying no to any adventure.
"We spent a lot of time travelling."
A Met spokesperson said: "We are aware of the significant impact this will be continuing to have on the man's family and have been in contact with them while the enquiries progress.
"A file was passed to the Crown Prosecution Service for a charging decision in March. We await their decision."
