The two police officers who admitted sharing photos of the bodies of murdered sisters Bibaa Henry and Nicole Smallman have both been jailed for two years and nine months.

Former PCs Deniz Jaffer and Jamie Lewis – both previously with the North East Basic Command Unit – were each sentenced at the Old Bailey today (Monday, December 6).

Jaffer, 47, and Lewis, 33, were assigned to protect the murder scene after Bibaa and Nicole had been found stabbed to death in Fryent Country Park on June 7 last year.

It was found that they left their posts to take pictures on their mobile phones of the victims and the crime scene.

They shared the images with other officers and, in PC Jaffer’s case, with members of the public via WhatsApp.

The pair were both suspended from duty following their arrests on June 22 2020, before being charged with misconduct in public office on April 28 this year.

Both pleaded guilty to the offence on November 2.

During the proceedings it was established that both officers had used the derogatory term “dead birds” to describe the victims when sharing the images, while they also admitted to superimposing Lewis's face on one of the pictures circulated.

The officers' behaviour came to light after an anonymous report was made to the Met’s Directorate of Professional Standards.

This prompted a referral to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), which launched an independent investigation which lasted four months.

Following the confirmation of custodial sentences, the regulator's regional director Graham Beesley said: “As Jamie Lewis and Deniz Jaffer begin their sentences, my thoughts and sympathies, as always, are with the family and friends of Nicole Smallman and Bibaa Henry.

“The actions of these men were a gross breach of the standards expected from police officers and undoubtedly compounded the family’s grief."

The Met's assistant commissioner, Helen Ball, added: "Today former PCs Jaffer and Lewis have been punished for their actions which were utterly unprofessional, disrespectful and deeply insensitive.

“All of us in the Met and wider policing are horrified by their shameful behaviour."

AC Ball also chaired an accelerated misconduct hearing held on November 24 to determine the pair's employment status.

With all accusations found proven at that hearing, it was concluded that the officers' actions had breached the standards of professional behaviour.

Lewis was dismissed without notice, while Jaffer would have faced the same fate had he not already resigned.

Both former officers have been added to the Barred List held by the College of Policing, meaning they can never be employed by the police or any equivalent body.

Danyal Hussein was convicted of killing 46-year-old Bibaa and 27-year-old Nicole Smallman as part of a “campaign of vengeance” against random women in a failed bid to win the Mega Millions Super Jackpot lottery prize of £321 million.

Alongside the two counts of murder, Hussein was also found guilty of possession of a knife.

He was given a life sentence - with a minimum 35-year term - on October 28 after a whole life order had previously been ruled out on the basis of age.

In her sentencing remarks, Mrs Justice Whipple said: “You committed these vicious attacks. You did it to kill. You did it for money and a misguided pursuit of power.”

Speaking outside court after Hussein's sentencing, the sisters' mother Mina Smallman said "justice has been done" for her “beautiful girls”.

She described the 19-year-old, who denied the killings and declined to give evidence at trial, as "just an obnoxious human being".

Ms Smallman also slammed the "compounding" actions of former officers Jaffer and Lewis, who she referred to as "Despicable 1 and 2".