Ex-police officer who shared photo of dead body he took while on duty jailed

A former police officer who shared photographs of crime scenes, including an image of a dead man's body, has been jailed.

Lewis Wood, 43, from Bridgwater, admitted sharing images and videos with family and friends on a number of occasions while serving with Avon and Somerset Police.

These included photos of the body of 39-year-old Paul Wells, who was killed in a homicide incident in Highbridge in 2020, Exeter Crown Court was told.

The former officer, whose employment with Avon and Somerset Police ended in 2021, pleaded guilty to three counts of misconduct in a public office.

'No words can make up for the distress this has caused'

Assistant Chief Constable Joanne Hall said Wood’s actions were ‘horrific’ and apologised to those who had been affected by his actions.

The former PC sent WhatsApp messages to family and friends about incidents he attended between December 2018 and August 2020.

In June 2020, at the crime scene in Highbridge, Wood lawfully recorded body-worn video footage and took still images on his work mobile.

But in August 2020, he used his personal phone to illegally share some of the material with family and friends.

'The family of Paul Wells have had to endure further pain'

Assistant Chief Constable Hall said: “Lewis Wood’s horrific actions will rightly shock and disgust members of the public, who place their trust with the police, as well as his former colleagues.

“It has meant the devastated family of Paul Wells have had to endure further pain.

“We are truly sorry for what has happened. We appreciate no words we can offer can make up for the distress this will have unquestionably caused them.

“From the moment these offences were discovered we have taken them extremely seriously and have sought to bring Wood to account believing his actions were not just misconduct, but indeed criminal and warranted the most robust action possible.

“There is absolutely no place for such criminal misconduct in policing, and we are determined to relentless root out anyone who wilfully disregards that.

“Failure to tackle poor conduct or drive positive cultural change would be to let down the public, plus the overwhelming majority of people serving in Avon and Somerset who are dedicated professionals who work every day to make their communities safer.”

In mitigation, the court was told Wood’s motivation for sharing them was to demonstrate to people he knew and trusted what he was having to regularly face, while struggling with his own wellbeing.

It was also said he was remorseful and sorry for his actions.

Judge James Adkin said the number of incidents showed this was a habit of Wood and ‘not a one-off’ and recognised the significant impact this had had on the victims.

He said while there may have been occasions Wood was seeking support in sharing details of incidents with family and friends, at others he was just seeking personal validation.

He said Wood’s actions in relation to sharing images of Mr Wells were ‘abhorrent’, the impact of which was ‘grossly distressing’ and added to the family’s ‘anguish’.

ACC Hall continued: “Every day, frontline officers especially, can be faced with unspeakably difficult and traumatic situations, dealing with incidents that thankfully few people ever would otherwise encounter.

“It is important we provide support to our employees, because policing is not a job where you can always go home at the end of the day and easily forget about what you have witnessed.

“These offences were committed several years ago and we have recognised as an organisation that being trauma-informed is one of our priorities and we have taken steps to improve access to support services that any officer may need.

“This in no way though should detract from what Lewis Wood did.

“The way he chose to handle this was it was illegal, wholly unprofessional and has caused immense pain, and he has rightly now been sentenced for his crimes.”

Wood, from Bridgwater, received a 28-month prison sentence.

Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know…