A Metropolitan Police detective who shared photographs of the mutilated body of murdered teenager Sally Anne Bowman for nearly two decades has been found guilty of gross misconduct. The tribunal ruled that former detective sergeant Jason Grafham kept and displayed the images for his “personal gratification and bragging,” causing additional pain to the victim's family.
Details of the case
Grafham, who served as an exhibits officer in the 2005 murder investigation, retained photographs of the crime scene where 18-year-old Sally Anne Bowman was found naked in a pool of blood after being raped and killed. The tribunal found there was “no policing reason” for him to keep the images, which he shared with colleagues until 2024. He retired from the force one day before the tribunal began and was permanently barred from policing.
Commander Paul Trevers, chair of the tribunal, stated that Grafham would have been dismissed if he had not retired. However, his pension cannot be docked as he was not convicted of a criminal offence. Trevers said: “The panel finds that former DS Jason Grafham retained papers and photographs (of the Sally Anne Bowman case) when there was no policing reason to do so. He showed photographs to other officers when there was no policing purpose to do so. Displaying (the photos) without any policing purpose was profoundly inappropriate and failed to treat the victim with dignity.”
Impact on the family
The tribunal heard that Grafham's actions compounded the “emotional harm and grief” suffered by the Bowman family. Commander Trevers added: “Even after 20 years, the emotional harm, grief and disruption to (the Bowman family’s) lives remains significant and the officer’s actions compounded this.” The behaviour was described as “wholly inconsistent with locally recognised practice” and had “significant potential to undermine confidence in policing standards.”
Witness testimony
During the hearing, a witness known as Miss B said she believed Grafham kept the photographs for “entertainment and bragging purposes.” She described seeing him show the crime scene images to a colleague as “highly inappropriate” and “disturbing.” Another witness, Miss C, said Grafham’s frequent references to his work on the Sally Anne Bowman case had become a “running joke” in the office.
In his defence, Grafham’s representative Mark Scrutton argued that he kept the photographs for “policing purposes” and was “incredibly proud” of his role as exhibits officer in the case, which led to the conviction of Mark Dixie. Dixie is serving a life sentence with a minimum term of 34 years for the rape and murder of Miss Bowman in 2008.
Additional misconduct
Grafham was also found guilty of making sexually inappropriate remarks to colleagues and discriminatory or derogatory comments between March and December 2024. The tribunal ruled that on the balance of probabilities, all five sexually inappropriate remarks and all but one discriminatory comment were proven, based on evidence from four colleagues.
Police apology
Detective chief superintendent Angela Craggs, who leads central specialist crime command at the Met, said: “The actions of former DS Grafham were despicable, incomprehensible and deeply disrespectful. I am profoundly sorry to the family and loved ones of Sally Anne Bowman for the additional pain and distress caused to them by what he did. Grafham’s comments to colleagues were also incredibly offensive and inappropriate. There is no place in the organisation for those who think such behaviour and language is acceptable.” She added that the Met is “appalled by his conduct” and grateful to colleagues who reported their concerns.
