Cop Sacked for Sharing Sick Domestic Violence Photo
PC Dickson admitted to four serious misconduct charges. A police panel blasted him for causing “real harm and damage” to both the police force and public trust. They ruled he must be fired immediately.
Shocking Abuse Photo Shared for Laughs
Back in October 2019, PC Dickson attended a horrific domestic violence incident. The abuser, armed with a knife, dumped mayonnaise and a fizzy drink over the victim’s head – then snapped a photo of the mess.
PC Dickson copied the image as evidence. But he then took a picture of it on his personal phone. Even worse, he sent the image three times to a colleague “to amuse” them, with mocking messages like “Head full of mayo!” and “I’ll get this done to you ya muppet xxx.”
“I felt made a fool of. I was disgusted and disappointed,” said the victim in a statement to the hearing.
PC Dickson apologised but admitted he gave little thought to how his actions affected her.
Disturbing Photos of Dead Bodies Also Found
The panel also discovered PC Dickson stored pictures of decomposing dead bodies on his personal phone. In June and July 2019, he obtained or took photos of dead men at different scenes. In December, he snapped pictures of a third body, supposedly for work, but copied them onto his own device.
He claimed he asked for the first pics out of curiosity, wanting to “better cope” with trauma. He said he took and shared other images with a colleague as a way to handle stress. The panel wasn’t buying it.
They said he showed a “casual disregard for the confidentiality and privacy” of sensitive images. His actions were labelled “extremely serious,” and only dismissal was deemed appropriate.
Police Service Warned on Impact of Misconduct
The panel highlighted the broader damage done: PC Dickson’s actions could discourage domestic abuse victims from coming forward. If victims fear officers might leak private evidence, justice is harder to achieve.
His “morbid curiosity” and disrespect for privacy shattered trust and justified the severe penalty.
