Bedfordshire Police could lead new investigation into death of 'blackmailed' man from Hertfordshire

Scott Gough, 56, took his own life at his home in Chandler’s Cross, near Watford, on March 29, 2024, after allegedly being the victim of blackmail on a gay dating app.

His body was found by his partner, Cameron Tewson, 32, who claims Hertfordshire police officers failed to follow up evidence of the alleged blackmail and treated the death “as a statistic”. A coroner ruled Scott’s death a suicide.

A review was carried out by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) after Mr Tewson raised four complaints against Hertfordshire Constabulary. The IOPC found in his favour in two of those complaints: firstly, that Herts police made errors and “did not fully investigate” Mr Gough’s death, and secondly, that delays in investigating Mr Tewson’s complaint had added to his distress.

Bedfordshire Police is now carrying out an independent review of the original investigation by Herts Constabulary and will conduct a new investigation if this is deemed necessary.

Mr Tewson said: “I remain hopeful for another force to investigate. Hopefully, they will spend time on it and prove Hertfordshire wrong. I don’t have faith in Herts police. I think they’re absolutely diabolical. I think Andy Prophet [chief constable] should hang his head in shame.

“I don’t want to give up. It’s too big and it’s too life-changing, and I don’t think they took it seriously at all. It was a lack of interest.

“It’s important to know that this [blackmail] is a crime which keeps happening. We as a society are not catching up and neither are the police.

“Scott wasn’t suicidal, he wasn’t depressed. There was nothing wrong with him. He was put into a corner he couldn’t get out of and he died protecting me from knowing what had happened. That’s how I see it.”

Mr Tewson was alone at Scott’s home on the evening of March 28, 2024, when a group of six youths knocked at the door wishing to speak to the owner of the white Range Rover parked on the driveway. He refused to answer the door, and the group left a note stating, “It’s in your best interests to phone us” alongside a phone number.

From the outset, Mr Tewson said he suspected the blackmail was linked to gay dating app Grindr, which his partner had used in the past.

When Scott returned home, the couple moved the car to Rickmansworth car park at around 8.10pm.

Mr Tewson said: “It was very much a sleepless night. I was asking, ‘Who are they? You must know something?’ I could tell he was anxious about something. But he kept saying he didn’t know who they were, he really batted off the conversation. I knew he wasn’t alright but I didn’t want to pry too much and irritate him.”

The following morning, Scott told his partner he would return to his job at a Jaguar Land Rover dealership in Basingstoke, Hampshire, and change the car, adding he planned to go to a police station.

Mr Tewson dropped his partner off at the car park and that was the last time he saw him alive.

Later that afternoon, he returned to Scott’s home to find he had written his last will and testament by hand, before discovering his body in his bedroom.

He added: “That’s when it all started for me really. The police came very quickly, fire engines, ambulances. The whole schbang was there…

“I obviously got taken down to Watford station and quizzed about everything… The next day came and nothing much happened. I was accessing passwords and being as helpful to the police as I could.

“I went to [Scott’s] house and the rubbish was still on the driveway. I put on rubber gloves and got the bag down to the station and I said, ‘Look, I don’t think you’re doing enough. You’ve not taken this’.

“They’d also not taken things like his laptop, his iPad, and the officers were saying, ‘Why do we need that stuff?’

“I said, ‘If we’re talking about apps, I’ve got an iPhone and a tablet, you can have different apps on different devices’. They took it but it was obvious they weren’t pursuing anything untoward.

“From the beginning, Scott became a statistic… That kind of set the tone of what they were looking at.”

Mr Tewson alleges that an officer made dismissive and insenstive comments, and that his concerns about bias and homophobia were “marginalised”.

The IOPC’s report states that within days of Scott’s death, the same phone number from the note left on his driveway was linked to similar alleged blackmail cases involving Grindr.

Although a group of individuals was later identified, the IOPC said there was no evidence their behaviour was “robustly investigated”, adding that the rationale of the investigation was “unclear”.

The IOPC’s recommendations were taken up by Beds, Herts and Cambs Professional Standards Department (PSD), along with two further issues which arose when they reinvestigated Mr Tewson’s complaint.

A Hertfordshire Constabulary spokesman said: “Hertfordshire Constabulary would like to reiterate its sincere condolences and sympathy to Mr Tewson at the loss of his partner, Mr Gough.

“The reinvestigation finalised by Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Cambridgeshire PSD into Mr Tewson’s complaint found that a blackmail investigation should have been considered.

“The constabulary has sought an independent review of the original investigation to deem whether a new investigation is necessary. This is being undertaken by Bedfordshire Police and they will also take on the new investigation if this is deemed necessary.

“PSD have changed the structure of the team that manage complaints, with a focus on timely complaint handling, avoiding delays and learning is already in place.

“Hertfordshire Constabulary remains committed to ensuring that members of the LGBTQ+ community feel supported when approaching the force. The force has dedicated LGBTQ+ liaison officers, whose role is vital in providing tailored support to victims from the LGBTQ+ community, addressing specific needs, building their trust and helping break down barriers that prevent people reporting incidents or seeking police assistance.

“We are also dedicated to delivering learning to ensure that officers understand specific issues faced by members of the LGBTQ+ community.”