Cops called sisters ‘dead birds’ in sick murder pics
TWO officers have been barred from policing after taking photos of murdered sisters Nicole Smallman and Bibaa Henry and calling them ‘dead birds’ while tasked with guarding the crime scene.
PC Jamie Lewis, 33, and former officer Deniz Jaffer, 47 – who also used the word ‘P***’ on social media – committed gross misconduct, a tribunal ruled yesterday.
Met police Asst Comm Helen Ball, who chaired the hearing, said: ‘This was hurtful, dishonest and unprofessional behaviour of the utmost seriousness.
‘I am sorry that our officers behaved in such a hurtful, disrespectful and criminal way. Their actions are shameful.’
The tribunal – which began with a minute’s silence for the sisters found dead in a park in June 2020 – heard Lewis sent one photo to a police WhatsApp group at 4am, writing: ‘Unfortunately I’m sat next to two dead birds with stab wounds.’
Jaffer said he was ‘with two dead birds’ in a different WhatsApp group including members of the public.
Less than an hour later, Lewis sent Jaffer a photo of himself superimposed on an image with both victims visible in the background.
The hearing was told on a separate occasion Lewis replied ‘exactly’ to an officer who said he was going to be posted somewhere with fewer Asian people, referring to them as ‘P***s’. Jaffer also used the racist term in a separate message. Ms Ball ruled Lewis should be sacked, while Jaffer would have been if he had not already quit. Neither attended the hearing or disputed the evidence. Jaffer, from Hornchurch, east London, and Lewis, of Colchester, Essex, are due to be sentenced at the Old Bailey in December after admitting a charge of misconduct in public office. They have been warned that they face lengthy jail terms. Satanist Danyal Hussein, 19, was jailed for a minimum of 35 years for the murders at Fryent Country Park, Wembley.