Police officers who shared WhatsApp photos of murdered sisters’ bodies referred to women as ‘dead birds’
The coppers who shared photos of the bodies of murdered sisters Bibaa Henry, 46, and Nicole Smallman, 27, have been found guilty of gross misconduct.
PC Jamie Lewis and PC Deniz Jaffer admitted sharing the images of the sisters’ bodies. Lewis was dismissed from the Met Police at the misconduct hearing and Jaffer was told he would have had the same outcome if he was still serving.
The sisters were found dead in Fryent Country Park in London in June last year.
Racism in the Met Police
During the hearing, it was revealed, the two officers referred to the woman as “dead birds.”
Lewis sent a WhatsApp message which said: “Unfortunately I’m sat next to two dead birds with stab wounds.”
Jaffer then sent a message in a WhatsApp group saying: “I’m here now I’ll try to take pictures of the dead birds.”
The officers had been assigned to protect the crime scene where the women were discovered.
Instead they took “inappropriate” and “unauthorised” pictures of the bodies and shared them on WhatsApp – with Jaffer taking four pictures and Lewis taking two – pne was sent to a female colleague and had Lewis’ face superimposed onto it.
Both men used racial slurs for Pakistanis in messages about unrelated police matters.
Assistant Commissioner Helen Ball, chairing an accelerated tribunal in west London on Wednesday, ruled that both men had committed gross misconduct.
“This was hurtful, dishonest and unprofessional behaviour of the utmost seriousness,” she said.
“I am sorry that our officers behaved in such a hurtful, disrespectful and criminal way. Their actions are shameful.”
Neither of them attended the tribunal which concluded the two officers breached six established police standards.
https://twitter.com/Nadine_Writes/status/1455619178778480654
Bibaa Henry and Nicole Smallman
Speaking outside the Old Bailey after the two officers’ pleaded guilty to committing misconduct in a public office, the victims’ mother, Mina Smallman, called on the force “to drill down and get the rot out once and for all”.
“You are not above the law, you are not going to be protected,” she said, before criticising Met Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick for her “shoddy way of behaving and her response since all of this has come out”.
The pair have already been warned they face “lengthy” jail terms when they are sentenced next month for misconduct in a public office.
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