Police officer took selfies while guarding teen's murder scene, court told

"Instead of guarding the scene, he has laid down and taken a selfie. You may think what is the purpose of that. The jury was shown the pictures, found on Connolly's phone, which included one selfie showing the officer standing up in his police uniform and another of him lying on the grass."

"The images are mainly of members of the public who are clearly being dealt with by Merseyside Police. They also include pictures of other police officers on duty or even selfies of the defendant himself whilst he is on patrol guarding a murder scene. Twenty-four photos found on devices showed people who were detained at police stations, hospitals or mental health premises."

"The jury heard some photos showed members of the public as they lay on hospital beds, were receiving treatment or were in handcuffs. One image showed a missing child after he was found and taken to a police station, and another showed two people who appeared to be asleep in bed."

Ryan Connolly, a 41-year-old former Merseyside Police officer, faces four misconduct charges for taking photographs while on duty at a crime scene and of vulnerable individuals. In 2018, while guarding the cordon where 16-year-old Daniel Gee-Jamieson was killed in Liverpool, Connolly took selfies including one of himself lying on grass. Police seized his mobile phones in February 2020, recovering 24 photographs from WhatsApp showing detained individuals at police stations, hospitals, and mental health facilities. Images included people in handcuffs, on hospital beds receiving treatment, a missing child found and brought to a station, and sleeping individuals. Connolly denies all charges, and prosecutors argue the photographs served no legitimate purpose.

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