Two MPS officers charged over selfies taken with murder victims

The charges against Police Constable Deniz Jaffer, 47, and Police Constable Jamie Lewis, 32, are in connection with selfies and other photographs that were taken of the bodies of sisters Bibaa Henry and Nicole Smallman, who were stabbed to death in a Wembley park in June last year

The two officers will appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, May 27, for their first hearing.

The Crown Prosecution Service authorised the charges following a review of a file of evidence from the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).

Ms Smallman, 27, and Ms Henry, 46, were stabbed to death last June as they celebrated one of their birthdays in Fryent Country Park in Wembley.

Commander Paul Betts, of the MPS’s Department of Professional Standards (DPS), said: “These are extremely serious charges and we thank the IOPC for their work to get to this point. Throughout their investigation we have remained resolute in our efforts to provide every support to their inquiries.

“Our thoughts go out to the families of Bibaa and Nicole, as we recognise the renewed grief and pain this development will bring. We know the public will share our outrage, but I would ask that space is now given to allow the judicial process to run its proper course. It is not appropriate for us to initiate any internal investigations against the officers at this stage as this could impact on that process.”

A further statement issued by the force said: “As soon as this matter came to light, the MPS took action on the North East Command to remind officers of their responsibilities in using WhatsApp and other social media channels. Local senior management spoke to officers on the command to outline what is expected of them in terms of their behaviour as well as encouraging anyone who has a concern about a colleague’s behaviour to come forward.

“The IOPC investigation made two fast-time learning recommendations to the MPS. The first was to ensure all officers within a single police station in the North East Command conform to the expectations of their behaviour under the Code of Ethics, whilst on and off duty, and are aware that failure to do so could severely damage the public’s confidence in policing.

“The second was for the MPS to review whether supervisors and senior management at that police station are taking personal responsibility to identify and eliminate patterns of inappropriate behaviour, whilst simultaneously promoting a safe and open culture which makes clear to officers and staff that they are duty bound to challenge and report behaviour that does not align with the Code of Ethics.

“These recommendations, which were received on Monday, November 16, have been largely addressed already, not just within the single police station but across the entire North East Command. However, senior officers continue work to ensure these recommendations are fully implemented throughout the MPS. This is being overseen by the DPS’s prevention and learning team.”

Danyal Hussein, 18, is due to go on trial on June 7 at the Old Bailey, charged with the murders of the two women. He has denied murder.