Met Police officers charged over photos taken at murder scene of two sisters
28 April 2021, 14:21 | Updated: 28 April 2021, 15:13
Two Metropolitan Police officers have been charged over photographs taken at the scene of a double murder which were allegedly shared on WhatsApp.
Two Metropolitan Police officers have been charged over photographs taken at the scene of a double murder which were allegedly shared on WhatsApp.
Pc Deniz Jaffer, 47, and Pc Jamie Lewis, 32, have been charged with misconduct in public office, the Crown Prosecution Service said.
The alleged offences took place at the scene of the stabbings of sisters Nicole Smallman, 27, and Bibaa Henry, 46, who were killed at Fryent Country Park in Wembley, north-west London, in the early hours of June 6.
Social worker Ms Henry, from Brent in north-west London, and photographer Ms Smallman, from Harrow in north-west London, had met friends the previous evening to celebrate the elder sister's birthday.
Jaffer and Lewis will appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Thursday May 27 for their first hearing.
At the time of the killings, the cause of death for both women as stab wounds.
Danyal Hussein, 19, was arrested the month after and charged with both murders, plus the possession of an offensive weapon.
He has pleaded not guilty to murdering the pair as well as to possession of an offensive weapon, and has been remanded in custody ahead of a trial at the Old Bailey on 7 June.
In a statement, Metropolitan Police Commander Paul Betts, of the Directorate 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 enquiries.
"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."
More to follow...
