Two former Lancashire Police employees have been jailed after sharing videos and photos of crime scenes. Cameron Lee Hanson, who was a police constable, and Kirstie Hanson, a civilian worker, were both sentenced for sharing footage of the scene of a murder in October 2021. Cameron had taken the footage on his body-worn camera. After he found the body of James O’Hara, he sent Kirstie the audio messages and videos of O’Hara using his personal phone. Cameron was sentenced to 32 months in prison, while Kirstie has been jailed for 18 months.
The Manchester Crown Court heard how Kirstie shared the video footage with colleague Charlotte Riley, who asked to see “video from a murder.” Kirstie sent her the footage, but advised her not to share it anywhere. Two days later, Kirstie showed the footage to two other colleagues, who reported the matter to their superiors. An inquiry was launched, and the three defendants’ devices were seized.
The investigation found other incidents of misconduct, including unauthorised access to police computers, disclosure of private and sensitive information, and “mockery of vulnerable members of the public.” The three defendants pleaded guilty to the crimes they committed, which took place between January 2019 and November 2021. Kirstie and Riley also admitted to conspiracy to secure access to computer material.
Last April, Michael Hannan was sentenced to five years and four months in prison for killing James O’Hara in an unprovoked attack. At the hearing, James O’Hara’s mother read out a victim personal statement from the witness box about the impact of her son’s death on their family. She could not understand why anyone, especially a serving police officer, could treat her son’s death in such a manner.
The judge, in his remarks, stated that he was deeply saddened by the incident that involved the defendants and their sharing of sensitive footage. He also made remarks about the culture that exists in the Lancashire police force and expressed hope that the defendants felt the deep sense of shame that they ought to feel. Lancashire Police stated that all three defendants resigned during the course of its investigation. Detectives hope that the sentencing would serve as a message to the public that such acts have no place in the police force
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