Police call handler Joshua Tilt admits sharing photo of teenager's body

Joshua Tilt will be sentenced at Birmingham Crown Court next month

A police call handler has admitted sharing a picture of a teenager's body after he had been hit by a train.

Joshua Tilt, 31, who worked for British Transport Police (BTP), is thought to have shared the image of 18-year-old Lewis Williams, from Slough, on WhatsApp.

Tilt, of Barley Green, Birmingham, admitted wilfully misconducting himself in public office at Birmingham Crown Court on Friday.

He will be sentenced on 14 December.

Lewis Williams, 18, was found dead on a railway line in Slough, Berkshire

Lewis' family said he was "popular, funny and kind". He had been diagnosed with emotionally unstable personality disorder before his death in Slough in June.

His parents were in court to hear Tilt enter his guilty plea in a 15-minute hearing.

Lewis' father Paul has previously said how the family were told in July that BTP had launched an investigation into one of its staff.

He was told someone had "gained access to the police aftermath scene photos, chosen a photo of [Lewis's] body and then shared the image in a WhatsApp chat group with 14 others".

"I immediately felt sick," Mr Williams said.

Judge Paul Farrer KC told Tilt, who was bailed, that he is "likely" to face a prison term.