Two Met Cops in Hot Water for Snapping Victims at Crime Scene
Officers Charged with Misconduct
PC Deniz Jaffer, 47, and PC Jamie Lewis, 33, faced Judge Mark Lucraft at the Old Bailey on Tuesday. They were charged with misconduct in public office for actions taken between 7 and 23 June last year.
The pair were assigned to guard the crime scene in Fryent County Park, Wembley, where sisters Bibaa Henry, 46, and Nicole Smallman, 27, were found dead in the bushes.
Photographs Taken and Shared Without Permission
Instead of protecting the scene, Jaffer and Lewis broke protocol by sneaking past the cordon to take unauthorised and “inappropriate” photos of the victims’ bodies. Jaffer snapped four photos, while Lewis took two. Shockingly, one image sent to a female colleague had Lewis’s face photoshopped onto it.
The images were shared over WhatsApp — Jaffer sent pictures to three friends, and Lewis shared crime scene shots (not showing the victims) with a WhatsApp group of more than 40 officers called the “A Team”.
Suspended as Investigation Unfolds
The pair were arrested by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) and subsequently suspended from duty on 22 June last year. Both officers admitted their misconduct during the hearing, acknowledging that they entered a crime scene they were meant to protect and sent details of their attendance to members of the public via WhatsApp.
Sisters’ mother, Mina Smallman, branded the officers “despicable” and attended the hearing.
Trial Reveals Shocking Details
During the trial, jurors viewed photos taken by Jaffer early on 8 June. The images showed the bodies in a bushy area, but were blacked out in court due to their graphic nature. Witness testimony revealed the officers were pacing near the inner cordon. A female colleague spotted their suspicious behaviour and received the illicit photos from Jaffer shortly after.
The photos’ circulation and the brazen flouting of police rules have sparked outrage and cast a shadow over the Metropolitan Police’s North East command unit.
