A police officer who sent a photo of a dead body to a colleague on Whatsapp has been dismissed from Avon and Somerset Police.

PC Daniel Wallwork was sent to an address in Radstock on April 16, 2020, following the sudden death of a woman in her 40s.

While at the address, he used his personal phone to take a photo of the woman as she lay partially clothed face down on a bed before sending it to a colleague.

The accompanying message read: “After all these years I’ve finally met [her].”

PC Wallwork subsequently claimed he sent the image to inform his colleague of the woman’s death as they’d recently discussed concerns for her welfare.

However, CC Sarah Crew ruled PC Wallwork had failed to act with integrity and failed to treat the woman he claimed to have known to be vulnerable with respect, dignity or courtesy in the moment of her death.

She concluded his actions amounted to gross misconduct and dismissed him without notice after a hearing on Wednesday (January 12).

Following the hearing, CC Crew said: “PC Wallwork behaved in the most deplorable way and in doing so has severely betrayed the trust placed in him by the public.

“His actions caused great additional distress to the family of the woman who died, for which I am truly sorry.

“This type of behaviour has no place in policing and I promise I will always take robust action against it.”