Former and serving PSNI officers alleged to have shared death scene images to be prosecuted

A PSNI officer and a now former officer are set to be prosecuted following the leaking of images from the scenes of sudden deaths.

The pair are to be prosecuted for alleged misconduct in public office.

It is understood that one of the officers has already been dismissed from the PSNI, while the other officer is suspended from duty.

The Public Prosecution Service (PPS) made the announcement after considering the evidence submitted in an investigation file by the Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland.

The Operation Warwick investigation examined a number of incidents, including the alleged sharing of imagery taken at the scenes of sudden deaths.

There has already been a decision to prosecute one individual for three counts of improper use of a public electronic communications network contrary to the Communications Act 2003.

Following the submission of a separate file by the PSNI, the individual is being prosecuted in connection with the alleged sharing of imagery captured at the scenes of sudden deaths. That case is currently at hearing.

The PPS said they have informed the four families connected to one or both investigations after the death of a loved one in sudden circumstances of their decisions.

PPS assistant director Martin Hardy said they will continue to engage with the families involved as the two separate prosecutions progress.

A PSNI spokesperson said: "The criminal investigation is being carried out by the Police Ombudsman.

"It would be inappropriate to comment further at this time."

Solicitor Pádraig Ó Muirigh who represents one of the familes said they welcome the decision: "The families concerned have been very frustrated at the delay in arriving to this point.

"Whilst they appreciate some investigations are more complex than others, this investigation has been ongoing for a number of years.

"Similar cases in England such as the prosecution of Metropolitan Police officers Deniz Jaffer and Jamie Lewis, who were jailed for two years after they photographed the bodies of Nicole Smallman and Bibaa Henry, were progressed much more expeditiously. "There will be huge public interest in these cases and I think the families and the wider public will expect these matters to be progressed as speedily as possible through the justice system."

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