Ex-police officer admits sharing explicit photos

Simon Sewell could be banned from policing for life

A former police officer has admitted sharing intimate photos of a woman on social media without her consent.

Simon Sewell, a former detective constable in the Kirklees area at West Yorkshire Police, is currently facing a gross misconduct hearing for 12 offences of breaching the standard of police conduct between June 2020 and May 2023.

On Wednesday, the hearing was told he shared photos of crime scenes, made disparaging comments about the account of a woman who claimed to have been raped, and accessed police records without a lawful purpose.

Mr Sewell, who has since resigned from the force, has admitted to all of the offences, but claimed to have been acting under duress.

He was not in attendance for the start of his hearing at West Yorkshire Police's headquarters in Wakefield on Wednesday, which heard he claimed the woman he shared the intimate photos of, who cannot be named for legal reasons, had pressured him into making checks on police databases.

He had only sent photos of crime scenes and his workplace because she had demanded to know where he was, according to his solicitor Peter Gilmour.

Mr Sewell claimed the woman could not be identified in the explicit photos he uploaded, although she denied this.

Holding back tears, she told the hearing she was "haunted" by the thought that she would never know what images of her were "out there".

Asked why he shared a photo of a man in custody with her and asked if she thought he looked similar to him, Mr Sewell told investigators it had been "stupid banter".

He also sent her a photo of a bloodied cot from the scene of an attempted murder "to prove he was busy and potentially working late".

The same explanation was given for why he shared a photo of the alleged victim of a sexual offence in March 2023 and said she had falsified allegations and changed her story.

Simon Mallett, representing West Yorkshire Police, said Mr Sewell's explanations were "implausible".

Ms A told the hearing she had "never asked for any information about his work to be shared in detail".

She denied she had tried to control his behaviour and added: "He's saying these things to try and give justification over what he did."

A West Yorkshire Police spokesperson said Mr Sewell was not charged with any criminal offences.

The panel is expected to decide whether Mr Sewell is guilty of gross misconduct, meaning he could be barred from policing in future, on Friday.

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