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New investigation launched into dead body picture shared by police officers

Metropolitan Police officers on patrol in London
The three unidentified officers are from the Metropolitan Police (Stock picture: Getty)

Three more police officers from London’s force have been investigated over another incident of photos of a dead body at a crime scene being shared.

One of the officers is alleged to have taken a photo of a man at a crime scene, while the other two officers either received the photo, viewed it or were aware of it.

It comes after a separate but apparently similar incident when police shared pictures of murdered sisters Bibaa Henry and Nicole Smallman after their deaths.

A spokesperson for the Independent Office for Police Conduct said: ‘We also found evidence one officer may have taken and shared a photograph at the scene of a sudden death, and that two other officers were either aware of, received or viewed that photograph.’

They said they had passed the information to the Met Police.

A police spokesperson said that the allegations were being looked into. It was not clear if action had or would be taken against the officers.

The Metropolitan Police statement said: ‘Other allegations unrelated to the Wembley incident have led to seven officers being informed their conduct is being investigated for possible breaches of standards of professional behaviour relating to honesty and integrity and equality and diversity. 

An undated handout image of Bibaa Henry, 46, and Nicole Smallman, 27, who were stabbed to death by Danyal Hussein at a park in London, Britain in June 2020. Metropolitan Police/Handout via REUTERS THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY
Sisters Bibaa Henry and Nicole Smallman, who who were stabbed to death at a park in London in June 2020 (Picture: Reuters)

‘These allegations relate to officers allegedly sharing answers for a police driving exam, and one officer alleging taking and sharing a photograph at the scene of a sudden death.

‘Two other officers were either aware of, received or viewed that photograph.

‘The IOPC’s enquiries are complete and the findings have been shared with the MPS. Liaison with the IOPC remains ongoing.’

Yesterday, Pc Deniz Jaffer and Pc Jamie Lewis pleaded guilty to committing misconduct in a public office between June 7 and 23 last year.

The pair were assigned to protect the scene after Bibaa Henry, 46, and Nicole Smallman, 27, were found dead in bushes in Fryent Country Park in Wembley, north-west London.

Instead, they breached the cordon to take ‘inappropriate’ and ‘unauthorised’ photographs of the bodies, which they then shared on WhatsApp.

Judge Mark Lucraft warned they are likely to receive a custodial sentence following the guilty pleas.

He told both men: ‘These matters are extremely serious and you should be under no illusions that it is extremely likely that you will receive custodial sentences and custodial sentences of some length.’

Paul Goddard, from the CPS, said their conduct ‘fell way below that to be expected from police officers’.

He said: ‘These officers were tasked with protecting a tragic crime scene, but instead they violated it for their own purposes, with no regard to the dignity of the victims, or the harm they might do to a murder investigation.’

Last week, Satanist Danyal Hussein, 19, was jailed for life with a minimum term of 35 years for murdering Bibaa and Nicole after making a supposed blood pact with the devil.

Met Police Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick said a better response from officers at the scene would have saved the victims’ family and friends ‘immeasurable pain’, adding: ‘I am very sorry that the level of service we provided fell short.’

But the the sisters’ mother said the apology was 10 months too late.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

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