Two police officers who took pictures of murdered sisters for a “cheap thrill” have been jailed for two years and nine months.
PC Deniz Jaffer and PC Jamie Lewis were given the task of guarding the stage after Bibaa Henry, 46, and Nicole Smallman, 27, were found dead in bushes in Fryent Country Park, Wembley, north-west London.
Instead, officers moved from their posts to take pictures of the bodies, which were then shared with colleagues and friends on WhatsApp.
One was a “selfie-style” picture that Lewis had put his face on top of.
Bibaa Henry (left) and Nicole Smallman (PA)
The officers’ “shameful” behavior also included describing the victims as “dead birds” on WhatsApp groups.
Jaffer, 47, of Hornchurch, East London, and Lewis, 33, of Colchester, Essex, pleaded guilty to misconduct in a public office.
In October, Danyal Hussein, 19, of Blackheath, was jailed for life with a minimum sentence of 35 years for the murders.
The court heard that the officers’ behavior allowed Hussein to advance the false defense if incriminating DNA evidence could have been contaminated.
On Monday, Judge Mark Lucraft QC dismissed an appeal that officers should be spared custody, and jailed each of the men for two years and nine months.
The judge condemned their “shocking and unexplained behavior”.
Judge Lucraft said: “The public expects, and rightly so, the highest standards from police officers.
“I’m sure there will be many thousands of officers in police forces in this country and abroad who are utterly appalled by your actions.
‘It is shocking and inexplicable behavior.
“Here you two not only violated the police cordon with the effect it had on the scene and on the investigation, but then completely disregarded the privacy of the two victims of horrific violence and their families for what may have been only some cheap suspense, kudos, a kick or some form of bragging by taking pictures and then passing them on to others. ”
In statements about the impact of the victim, family members described the defendants as a “disgrace” to the police family and to humanity.
The women’s mother, Mina Smallman, said the officers’ actions were a “betrayal of catastrophic proportions” and a “sacrilegious act”.
She said: “In my opinion, Jaffer and Lewis committed an act of sacrilege without any regard for the bodies of our dead girls.
“We were told … the police officers, whose task it was to protect and preserve the crime scene, had in fact, for their own amusement, taken selfies and posed for pictures with our dead daughters.
“We were horrified. I had never heard of anything so macabre.
“The police officers felt so safe, so motionless that they felt they would take pictures of our murdered daughters. These officers dehumanized our children.
She added that the officers’ actions were “pure misogyny”.
The court heard Jaffer and Lewis, neither of whom was wearing forensic protection, were tasked with protecting the site after arriving at Fryent Park at 6 p.m. 3.30 on June 8 last year.
During the night, Jaffer took four photos of the bodies in situ, and Lewis took two, and laid his face on top of a third to create a “selfie-style” photo.
Jaffer sent an inexperienced female colleague pictures of the bodies as they lay entwined in the bushes, including Lewis’ “selfie.”
He went on to show pictures to two other officers, including a female probation officer, he was a mentor who was “shocked” and “disgusted.”
Lewis showed a picture from the crime scene to another female officer on her phone, but she could not see it clearly, the court heard.
On June 19 last year, the police watchdog received an anonymous “tip-off” about Lewis, and Jaffer was also arrested three days later.
Asked by his wife why he was arrested, Jaffer said it was about a picture he had taken and “nothing done on purpose”.
An investigation of the officers’ phones showed that photos of the bodies had been shared on WhatsApp.
The defendants were members of a group called “A Team”, consisting of 41 Metropolitan Police officers.
Jaffer was also a member of a WhatsApp group with nine other close friends who had vacationed together.
Lewis sent an article to the A Team group about the discovery of the bodies, saying he and his colleagues “lived the Wembley dream”.
He wrote: “Unfortunately I am sitting next to two dead birds full of stab wounds.”
Jaffer wrote on his friends’ group: “I have pictures of the two dead victims. Let me know who does not want to see.”
Jaffer went on to send a picture of the bodies to three friends, including one who passed it on to his partner.
Lewis sent messages about the case to a third WhatsApp group of seven non-police members.
He told them he was involved in a double murder investigation, mistakenly saying the victims were between the ages of 20 and 14 and one was pregnant.
Last month, a court found the officers had committed a felony.
Lewis was fired from the Metropolitan Police immediately, and Jaffer would also have been fired if he had not already left the force.
As a remedy, Neil Saunders said Jaffer felt overwhelming remorse for his “shameful” behavior.
The former trader and father of two Jaffer had suffered from depression and anxiety before the offense and was in the process of being retrained as an electrician.
Luke Ponte, for Lewis, said his case was centered on taking two photos, after only sending the “selfie” photo back to Jaffer.
Lewis, who previously worked for the British Transport Police, had described the attempt to fit into a “negative culture” in the police.
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