Just tell me if you stole my dead baby’s identity... all I want is an apology
Dad’s desperate plea for answers from police
“We had been looking forward to his birth and all the joy that brings.
“However, it was very distressing to watch our baby boy die within a week of being born.
“The pain of losing a child is with you for ever. You have to learn live with it.”
Gordon believes the traumatic bereavement contributed to the breakdown of his marriage to Judith.
Benjamin was buried in Hoop Lane cemetery, north London, his resting place marked by a stone that would have given all the details identity.
Gordon first feared Benjamin’s identity might have been stolen when details of the practice emerged in 2013.
He said: “I read that other babies and children from nearby cemeteries had their identities stolen and discovered police trawled the area picking out the deceased children.
“When I asked the police whether Benjamin’s was used, they refused to confirm or deny it.
“This made me very suspicious. Surely if they had not, then it
needed
to
steal
his would be easier to say so? I met a woman who had been duped by an undercover police officer and then I realised the true extent of the abhorrent police operation.”
The inquiry has already heard how the identity of at least one other child was stolen from a cemetery near Benjamin’s.
The mum of the child concerned has received an apology from the police.
That’s all Gordon really wants, too – the truth. And an apology.
“If I discover that Benjamin was used like this I will have to accept it,” he told The Sunday Post.
“But at least I will know the truth. Not knowing is painful and distressing to me and the other parents seeking answers.
“If my son’s identity was used by the police I believe a proper apology must be issued.
“I know the other families want and deserve this, too.”
The police force at the centre of scandal is refusing to reveal the names of the babies whose identities were stolen.
Top brass have argued they have a duty of care to protect their officers and fear for their safety if details are revealed.
Political groups such as animal rights activists were targeted.