A husband and wife who shared distressing videos of a dying man’s body while working for Lancashire Constabulary have been jailed for almost three years each.
Police officer Cameron Lee Hanson and fellow Lancashire Constabulary staff member Kirstie Hanson were jailed last week after admitting offences including misconduct in public office. A third police worker, Charlotte Riley, was given a two-year suspended sentence for her role in the shameful saga.
Mr Hanson was working as a response constable in East Division when he was called to a crime scene in Pendle in October 2021. There, James O'Hara had been punched and sustained injuries which would lead to his death in hospital days later.
Rather than carry out the policing duties he was there for, Mr Hanson took a series of video clips to send to his wife. She in turn showed them to Riley, who showed them to two more officers.
Rightly horrified, these two officers reported the footage to the superiors and within 90 minutes, the Hansons’ phones were seized and their callous behaviour uncovered.
After the pair, both 33, were jailed, an expert in the field of police said their actions caused “grave concerns”. Matt McConville is senior associate at Irving’s Law, a firm which has regularly challenged Lancashire Constabulary over data breaches and other failings.
He told The Hyndburn Lead: “It goes without saying that the public have the right to expect integrity in the police service and should have confidence in police officers to act in a professional manner in all situations particularly when dealing with evidence and sensitive information.
“Unfortunately, there has been a definite shortfall in the service that has been provided in this situation and there are grave concerns over the conduct of all those involved.”
The Hansons were arrested the same day their phones were seized and they were immediately suspended from duty while further enquiries were conducted. Riley, 30, was arrested in February 2022 following further enquiries which identified offending on her behalf.
Searches of the phones found further offending. In Mr Hanson’s case, he had used the police Accessing police systems to look up crime incidents with no legitimate reason; sent body worn footage of a murder scene to his wife; sent body worn footage of him pepper spraying a man.
He had also taken photos of a man who had died in non-suspicious circumstances, leading to his wife sharing them with a friend and speculating about what had happened. Other incidents were recorded on his phone, while he also sent derogatory messages about vulnerable people including a man suffering a mental health crisis and the mother of an injured child.
Kirstie and Cameron-Lee Hanson
Mrs Hanson was found to have sent sensitive information to a civilian contact, including a photo of a police log where she had circled a name who she referred to as a ‘big criminal’. She also discussed the suspect involved in a car theft investigation and sent ‘highly sensitive’ information to her husband about a sex offender.
She also accessed police logs with no legitimate reason on behalf of Riley, who was not at work and therefore could not do it herself.
At Manchester Crown Court, Mr Hanson, of Packington Brook, Oswaldtwistle, pleaded guilty to seven counts of misconduct in public office: and two counts of causing a computer to perform a function to secure/enable unauthorised access to a program/data. He was jailed for 32 months and has been added to the Barred List, with gross misconduct proceedings to follow.
Mrs Hanson, of Packington Brook, Oswaldtwistle, pleaded guilty to eight counts of misconduct in public office; three counts of conspiring to cause a computer to perform a function to secure/enable unauthorised access to a program/data; and one count of knowingly/recklessly obtaining or disclosing personal data without the consent of the controller. She was jailed for 18 months.
Riley, of Carholme Avenue, Burnley, admitted three counts of misconduct in public office; and three counts of conspiracy to cause a computer to perform a function to secure/enable unauthorised access to a program/ data. She was given a two-year suspended sentence.
Speaking after the sentencing, DCI Eugene Swift, from Lancashire Constabulary’s anti-corruption unit, said: “The behaviour of these three individuals has no place in Lancashire Constabulary and damages public confidence and trust in the police at both a local and national level.
“When the existence of these videos first came to light we moved quickly to secure the phones and ensure no further offending could take place. A pro-active investigation was then launched, which identified further serious offending.
“My thoughts are with the victims of this offending and I hope today’s outcome will give them some sense of justice.
“I want to be clear that the overwhelming majority of police officers and police staff in Lancashire are law abiding, respectful and go to work to make a difference in the communities in which they serve. Where there is any evidence of wrongdoing by an officer or staff member, the ACU will carry out a proactive and robust investigation – as demonstrated in this case – and work with the Crown Prosecution Service to take the appropriate action.”
Mr McConville added: “We, at Irvings Law, specialise in compensation claims against all Police Forces in England and Wales following unlawful actions and misconduct committed by serving Police Officers so if you have suffered in this respect, please do not hesitate to contact our firm to see if we can assist you.”
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