Met treating flat fire as transphobic hate crime
The fire occurred in a flat on Whitechapel High Street
At a glance
A fire at a flat in Whitechapel, east London, is being treated as a transphobic hate crime by the Met Police
Transgender women and a gay man were in the flat at the time of the blaze on 14 April
No arrests have been made but detectives say they are pursuing "active lines of inquiry"
- Published
A fire at a flat in east London is being treated as a transphobic hate crime, the Met Police has said.
The fire happened just before 06:30 BST on 14 April at a residential flat on Whitechapel's High Street. No injuries were reported.
Inside the property at the time were transgender women and a gay man, the Met said.
Detectives are treating the fire as suspicious and are working with fire investigators to work out the cause of the blaze.
'Frightening ordeal'
The force said although no arrests had been made, there were "active lines of inquiry" that it was pursuing.
Acting Ch Insp Dave Hodges said: "We do not tolerate transphobia and are working closely with the London Fire Brigade in Tower Hamlets to extend support to the three victims of what was clearly a very frightening ordeal."
Jack Gilbert, local resident and member of the Met's LGBTQI+ Independent Advisory Group, said he was pleased it was being investigated as a hate crime.
"This means they know it will impact trust and confidence," he said.
Mr Gilbert added the force had enacted the "Gold Group process" whereby all aspects of the case, from the first response to the investigation to victim care, will be reviewed by LGBTQI+ independent community advisors and other public sector authorities.
Anyone with information has been urged to contact police.
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