Deniz Jaffer: PC who shared photos of dead sisters boasted of cover-up
- Published
Deniz Jaffer arriving at the Old Bailey in November 2021, where he was convicted of misconduct in a public office
A Met Police officer jailed for taking photographs of the bodies of two murdered women also boasted of covering up an attack on a group of Asian men.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) found messages sent by Deniz Jaffer to a WhatsApp group.
In them the former PC used offensive language about those who were assaulted and said he released "three white fellas" after an "off the record" chat.
Days earlier he took and shared images of Bibaa Henry and Nicole Smallman.
The sisters were killed in Fryent Park, north London, in June 2020. Jaffer and colleague Jamie Lewis were meant to be securing the scene when they took selfies next to Ms Henry and Ms Smallman.
The IOPC said Jaffer's conduct over the supposed cover-up "indicates a corrupt attitude within policing that specifically targets people from the South Asian community".
Jaffer later tried to dismiss the messages as "chit chat" and an attempt to be "funny", which the IOPC described as "concerning".
Jaffer (pictured) and his colleague Jamie Smith were jailed earlier this year for two years and nine months
The incident, although unconnected to the investigation into the deaths of Ms Henry and Ms Smallman, was uncovered during a forensic examination of his phone.
The IOPC report also revealed that Jaffer's colleague Lewis initially told police he was "95% certain" he had not taken photographs of himself next to the bloodied bodies of Ms Smallman and Ms Henry.
It was later discovered he had taken at least two photographs, while Jaffer took four pictures of the bodies in situ.
Both men were jailed in December 2021 for two years and nine months after admitting misconduct in a public office.
Sentencing judge Mark Lucraft said they had demonstrated "appalling and inexplicable conduct", while the Metropolitan Police apologised to the victims' family for the defendants' "shameful and utterly unprofessional" actions.
Danyal Hussein, 19, was jailed for life with a minimum term of 35 years for the murders.
Three serving Met Police officers faced misconduct meetings last month for failing to challenge or report the inappropriate photographs when they were either shared with, or shown, to them. They were given written warnings.
Scotland Yard said it had implemented the recommendations made by the IOPC regarding the officers' behaviour, adding that the force had "made significant changes to improve our standards and culture since this happened".
Correction 17th August: This article's headline originally said that Deniz Jaffer "took selfies with dead sisters" and has been amended to make clear that he shared photos of the sisters.
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- Published23 June 2022
