A senior Metropolitan Police officer kept photographs of a raped and murdered teenager for 20 years for his 'personal gratification', a tribunal has heard. Detective sergeant Jason Grafham was found guilty of gross misconduct after a hearing ruled he had 'compounded' the 'emotional harm and grief' suffered by the family of Sally Anne Bowman by showing photographs from the crime scene where her naked body was found in a pool of blood.
Tribunal findings and actions
The tribunal, sitting at Palestra House in south London, found there was 'no policing reason' for Grafham to have kept the photographs, which date back to when the 18-year-old's body was discovered in 2005. Grafham, who retired from the force one day before the start of the tribunal, was permanently barred from serving in the police. He was also found guilty of gross misconduct for a series of sexually inappropriate and discriminatory and/or derogatory remarks.
Chairman of the tribunal, Commander Paul Trevers, said that Grafham – who did not attend any part of the hearing – would have been dismissed had he not already retired. He cannot have his pension docked as he has not been convicted of a criminal offence.
Details of the misconduct
Commander Trevers stated: '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. (He) admitted possessing and showing the photographs but maintained that was for policing purposes. The panel does not accept this explanation. Displaying (the photos) without any policing purpose was profoundly inappropriate and failed to treat the victim with dignity.'
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. This was 'wholly inconsistent with locally recognised practice' and had 'significant potential to undermine confidence in policing standards', Commander Trevers added.
Witness accounts
Earlier, the hearing heard photocopies of photographs taken from the scene of the rape and murder were discovered after a search of Grafham's desk in December 2024. One witness, known as Miss B, said she had thought Grafham had kept the photographs for 'entertainment and bragging purposes'. She said she had found it 'highly inappropriate' and 'disturbing' when she saw him show photographs of the crime scene to a colleague. Another witness, known to the court as Miss C, said that Mr Grafham's frequent referral to his work on the Sally Anne Bowman case had become a 'running joke' in the office.
Defence and separate allegations
In his defence, Grafham's representative Mark Scrutton had claimed he had kept the photographs for 'policing purposes'. He said Grafham was 'incredibly proud' of his role as an exhibits officer in the case which led to the conviction of Mark Dixie, who was jailed for life with a minimum term of 34 years for the rape and murder of Miss Bowman in 2008.
Separately, Grafham was also accused of making five sexually inappropriate remarks to colleagues, and three discriminatory and/or derogatory remarks between March and December 2024. The tribunal heard that on the balance of probabilities, all sexually inappropriate remarks and all but one discriminatory and/or derogatory comments were proven after four colleagues gave evidence.
Met Police response
Speaking after the tribunal had provided its findings, 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. We are all appalled by his conduct and grateful to colleagues who had the confidence to come forward and report their concerns, which we were able to swiftly act on.'
