Former Sandwell firefighter jailed for sharing photos of road accident victim
He sent the photos to friends on Whatsapp whilst on duty at a car accident
A former firefighter who took and shared photos of a dead man while on duty has been sentenced in court today (4 Oct).
Cameron Hancel, 34, of Rowley Regis, Sandwell appeared in Wolverhampton Crown Court today after previously pleading guilty to misconduct in a public office.
He will be imprisoned for 20 months.
He had been a first responder at the scene of a road traffic collision when he took three photos on his phone and shared these with friends.
The court heard how the messages featured laughing and smiling face emojis.
Passing sentence, Judge Michael Chambers KC told Hancel: "Members of the public expect to be able to place their trust in members of the emergency services."
The judge said Hancel had taken photographs of 38-year-old electrician Kevin Doughty lying dead in the road and had then "deliberately spoke of the deceased in derogatory and offensive terms" in social media exchanges with several contacts.
"Your conduct was truly appalling and inexplicable," said the judge.