The sentence does seem too harsh, but then the offence was on the extreme side - as detailed on this tread, they weren't just curious photos of a dead body, they were specifically edited.
The police must show respect for the individuals in society, even the dead and what these poor girls parents had to suffer was no doubt made worse by the people that should have protected them.
We see newspaper reports of seemingly worse offenders getting suspended sentences, community service etc. and I don't necessarily buy in to the sentiment that the officers should be held to a higher standard, after all, we are all supposed to be equal in the eyes of the law. Instead there should be a move away from the internal and IOPC handling of complaints and each one should be dealt with as a potential crime as would a complaint against a member of the public. For example, a claim of assault against an officer should be just that. There was a recent case (last couple of years) where a driver was assaulted by a police officer because the driver couldn't move his car out of the police officers way (not an emergency). The police and IOPC did nothing. A private prosecution had to be taken and only then did the CPS take interest and eventually pick up the case, resulting in a conviction for assault and the officers eventual sacking. The particular officer had a string of complaints against him.
If the police claim that there are too many complaints to deal with in that manner then that is telling in itself.
Should there have been a prison sentence of these two. Yes. Over 30 months - no. Perhaps 6 and even then the possibility of it being suspended.
|