A report by a gay study group has suggested "institutional" homophobia may have impeded the investigation of a man murdered in a Croydon park.

The report, written by the independent Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Advisory Group, studied how detectives handled 10 murders of gay men or transsexuals including the unsolved killing of Geoffrey Windsor in Beaulieu Heights, off South Norwood Hill, in 2002.

Mr Windsor was beaten to death with a car aerial in the early hours of June 26.

In 2004 detectives leading the investigation offered a £20,000 reward for information leading to a conviction.

The study group found there had been previous homophobic attacks in the same area and argued there was "insufficient communication of the level of risk associated with the cruising ground to the very wide range of people using it."

The authors said there should be more effective sharing of intelligence between police officers.

The review also stated problems were mirrored and in some cases increased by coverage of the crimes in the media.

The report states: "If we borrow the terminology of the Macpherson report, historical police practice amounted to 'institutional' homophobia and transphobia."

It adds: "There were several investigations were we have deep reservations about the way in which the identity of the victim informed investigative decisions at the time. We also found evidence of inappropriate attitudes to the circumstances of some murders."

However, the group did recognise the Met had substantially improved its dealings with gay, lesbian and transsexual communities and its investigations since the 1990s. But the report called for even more to be done to improve investigations, including better intelligence procedures for tracking known and potentially violent homophobes.

Commander Dave Johnston of the Met's specialist crime directorate said: "We have learned from past investigation, increased our understanding and introduced a number of initiatives."