Sydney, Australia CNN —The alleged murder of a young Sydney couple by a serving police officer has opened a tragic new chapter in the troubled history between the force and the city’s LGBT+ community and cast a shadow over Mardi Gras, a vibrant annual celebration of their culture. The bodies of Sydney couple Luke Davies and Jesse Baird were found a week after their alleged murder. Adding to that distress was a photo circulated widely of the alleged killer marching in police uniform at the 2020 Mardi Gras. The couple's alleged murder has cast a shadow over the annual Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras parade. Recommendations to police included reinvestigating some of the suspected hate crimes murders, but also for officers to take courses in LGBT+ bias and to improve relations with the LGBT+ community.

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