Met Police: Gross misconduct case proven against disgraced ex-PC

A police officer who took photographs of two dead sisters and was sacked by the Met Police has had a gross misconduct proven against him.

Jamie Lewis was jailed in December 2021 for taking photos of murdered sisters Bibaa Henry and Nicole Smallman.

Another officer, PC Bonnie Murphy, was also found to have committed gross misconduct after she asked Lewis for a picture from a different death scene.

PC Murphy was dismissed from the force without notice.

The gross misconduct finding against the pair was made at a disciplinary hearing on Friday, which was organised by the Met after an investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) into the taking and sharing of crime scene photos.

IOPC regional director Sal Naseem said: "We welcome the panel's decision and hope today's outcome demonstrates that this behaviour is not treated lightly and can result in serious consequences for the officers involved."

In December 2021 Lewis and fellow police officer Deniz Jaffer both received a 33-month prison sentence for misconduct in a public office after taking photos of the murdered sisters.

The Met officers posted pictures of the dead women in a WhatsApp group consisting of nine other people, who were not in the force.

Alongside the pictures, Lewis wrote: "Unfortunately I'm sat next to two dead birds full of stab wounds."

The IOPC found more pictures of decomposed bodies on Lewis's phone.

In January 2020 Lewis had been asked by PC Murphy to send her a photo of a man found dead in Newham, east London. His death was not as a result of a crime.

It was also found that Lewis had sent PC Murphy exam material and the answer sheet to the police basic driver written exam.