Police officers 'shared images of person who died by suicide' - Warning: graphic descriptions

[MNettersForNoahAndFiona]

Warning: graphic descriptions follow, in BBC News article and BBC video interview with the family:

Two NI police officers have been investigated for more than three years over allegations they manipulated a person who died by suicide's body and shared photos and a video online.

One of the officers has been suspended with full pay while the Police Ombudsman investigates. It is part of a wider investigation encompassing 11 separate but related incidents spanning several years. There are multiple suspects, including police officers and civilians, in Northern Ireland as well as in England. The investigation is looking at a range of possible offences including misconduct, harassment and the suspected supply of drugs.

The allegations around the two Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) officers are harrowing. The police officers asked the family to leave the room. The victim's body was moved around the room and posed for photographs and a video. His trousers were taken down and his genitalia exposed for one of the photographs. The images were then photoshopped with speech bubbles mocking the victim, including using a derogatory term for his religion and shared.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-62012268

The victim died in 2017 in Belfast. That is five years ago and still the police (PSNI) have not charged these sick and callous individuals. Only 30 hours of interviews have taken place in 5 years. When two disgraceful Met police officers similarly shared images of the bodies of murdered sisters Nicole Smallman and Bibaa Henry, they were quite rightly prosecuted and sent to prison - even by the Met.

The BBC recently broadcast interviews with two Police Service of Northern Ireland whistleblowers speaking publicly for the first time about serious allegations of misconduct and negligence within the PSNI:
www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0017yyn

Some Mumsnetters will have also seen my threads and those of others about the death and disappearance of young Noah Donohoe, also in Belfast, in 2020. After he had been missing for 6 days, Noah's naked body was retrieved from a drain. Two years later, his mother Fiona is still having to fight for the truth about her son's death and for justice for him. It is the same police force: the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI), and the same Chief Constable: Simon Byrne.
Here is a factual and reliable pinned Twitter thread for people new to Noah's story or wanting to know more:
mobile.twitter.com/MarymoBelfast/status/1370453351616425985
Here is Fiona's podcast:

Here is a Channel 4 News report: www.channel4.com/news/noah-donohoe-family-seek-answers-over-belfast-teenagers-death And please do sign Fiona's petition if you haven't already: www.mumsnet.com/talk/petitions_noticeboard/4573833-noah-donohoe-his-mothers-fight-for-the-truth-and-justice-please-help-stop-the-police-coroner-and-brandon-lewis-from-keeping-investigation-files-into-the-death-of-a-child-secret-thread-3?

These are only three examples of many serious failings from the PSNI. Victims' families have lost trust in them. Decent, whistleblowing officers have lost trust in them. The Metropolitan Police have recently been put into special measures for their failings. AIBU to believe that the same must happen with the lazy, corrupt, incompetent, racist and bigoted PSNI?

'Sectarian' bonfires condemned after flags and political posters burnt
One councillor said his children were asking him why his face was on a bonfire to be burnt
www.belfastlive.co.uk/news/belfast-news/sectarian-bonfires-condemned-after-flags-24470773

www.irishnews.com/paywall/tsb/irishnews/news/northernirelandnews/2022/07/13/news/psni_gathering_evidence_about_flags_posters_and_effigies_on_bonfires-2770836/content.html

Unfortunately a very vocal minority of people have chosen to complain to MNHQ about threads about or referencing Noah. Whether they are motivated by a lack of compassion, by bigotry, by racism, a combination of the three or something else, I can only guess. Noah's mummy is trolled on social media, so this has come as no surprise, although it is a disappointment on here. They won't win. Justice for Noah. 💙

Complaining?
What the actual fuck is wrong with them?

This. Who the fuck complains about a mum seeking to find out how her child died?!

It's a horrible tragic case such a special child wiped out, gone from his loving family.

Nothing will ever replace the loss but a legitimate investigation and respectful police force would have brought a small comfort for his family.

It's actually insane how badly the investigation went alongside the disrespectful attitude towards the family.

I read "the junkie" who was in possession of Noah's personal belongings never bothered showing up in court to face charges.

Karma better work on that man.

The case is horrific, but honestly @MNettersForNoahAndFiona I don't know that your posts on here do the family any favours. Any poster bombarding threads on a single issue runs the risk of looking unhinged.

(It wasn't me who complained, and I don't think you've done anything to break the guidelines so it wouldn't have occurred to me to do so, I just think it may ultimately be more helpful to dial it back a bit.)

Rather than just clicking away from the threads, ignoring them or hiding them, it seems that some people would rather make complaints about them and personal attacks against me - see pp for just one example, but there are others - in posts and/or reports. Thank you for posting and for your understanding and support @IncompleteSenten , @Throckmorton and @EmeraldShamrock1 . We will carry on raising awareness and keeping Noah's name in the hearts and minds of the public until the day that the truth is told for Fiona and Niamh, there is justice for Noah and other children are safe. That is what Noah's family want, need and deserve. 💙

Just to clarify @EmeraldShamrock1 , it was the woman - Maria Nolan - who did not turn up at Court last week for sentencing on the meagre Handling Stolen Goods charge she is facing with regard to Noah's laptop. Niamh had travelled up from Dublin too. Rescheduled for 10th Aug. 💙

I don't think I agree with this. These posts are what brought the case to my attention. If this was a poster going on about the dreadful state of potholes along their road, I agree they would look unhinged, but I don't think the same can be said when the issue is a child who died in mysterious circumstances and there is the possibility of a police cover-up. To be honest, the more light that is shone on this the better.

The problem is, if you are the sort of person that actively seeks out joining the police especially from a young age, the chances are you aren't the right person for the job.

The people who would make great police officers probably have other career.

Thank you for raising awareness. Shame on the people complaining.

I don’t watch the news much and if i hadn’t been on mumsnet I wouldn’t have known about Noah so I’m grateful.

💙

Further BBC news report this evening: Officer suspected of sharing more suicide images.

'A second family has told the BBC that a police officer is believed to have tried to share images of a dead man. Jim Lennon took his own life in 2012. His family said the Police Ombudsman told them in 2017 that an officer was being investigated for allegedly taking images of his body from the PSNI database. The family said they were told the police officer also tried to pass the images on to a colleague.

His sister, Deirdre Lennon, told BBC News NI: "His suicide broke our family, we were absolutely devastated." She said their grief had turned to horror.

Ms Lennon said she had lost complete faith in the PSNI." These are officers we are supposed to trust. Not a chance would I ring the cops now. No chance. I have no faith in them. How are you supposed to?" she said. "We are just devastated. It has been a hard five years. We couldn't tell anyone. But I can't do it no more. I just want justice for my brother."

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-62297506

It makes you wonder how long this has been going on and how widespread this is in the police.

Who can blame families like the family in the initial report, the Lennons and the Donohoes for having lost faith in the police?

Thank you @Throckmorton , @Lovelycheesegromit, @tttigress and @EmeraldShamrock1 💙

Latest news on Noah Donohoe and the police/PSNI:
www.mumsnet.com/talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/4599643-noah-donohoe-the-latest-news-is-very-bad

Fiona and Niamh Donohoe are organising a peaceful protest on Saturday 13th August 2022 in Belfast. Further details are to be finalised and will follow soon, but they want to give advance notice of the date and place, so that hopefully as many people as possible will be able to arrange to join them.

Fiona and her sister Niamh thank everyone who attended the peaceful protests in Strabane and Derry yesterday against the PII Certificate decision. This show of support not only gives them strength to fight on, but also shows those in power that Noah has a voice and they need to listen.

Please think about whether you are able to be in Belfast on Saturday 13th August to lend your voice and your support to Noah and his mother. All are welcome - including children - and are very much needed in this peaceful protest against the PII certificate and for the truth for Fiona and justice for Noah. Noah cannot speak up for himself and is relying on all decent people to speak up for him.

Thank you.

Further details:
Saturday 13th August, 2022
1pm
City Hall, Belfast

From Niamh Donohoe:
Protest against the abuse of PII
Stand in solidarity with us
Be Noah's Voice💙⚡🙏
💙Fight Against PII & Fight For the Safety of All Our Children💙
⚡WHEN: Sat 13th August 2022 at 1pm
⚡WHERE: CITY HALL, Belfast.

Unfortunately, because of reports from a vocal minority complaining about it, this thread for Noah has just been moved by MNHQ to the quiet backwater of the Petitions board. I can only guess about the true motivations of the reporters.

This is hideous. PSNI don’t appear to fall under IOPC governance for some reason so presumably they are investigating themselves?? I’ve no great love for the IOPC their investigators are often not very competent and they’re incredibly slow but at least police in England and Wales aren’t marking their own homework. It’s just wrong. I can’t believe Simon Byrne has been given a job anywhere after Cheshire. Horrible man.

The PSNI are the most monitored police force in the world. They are monitored by the Northern Ireland Policing Board, the Policing and Community Safety Partnerships and the Policing Ombudsman.

The PSNI are the most monitored police force in the world.
And yet, and yet...

Thankfully, despite a vocal tiny minority on Mumsnet, there is still a lot of love around for Noah.

From Councillor Raymond Barr and Mrs Donna Barr:
Thanks to Works Coffee Roasters, the Hillsborough action group Liverpool and local businesses/ groups/ individuals in Strabane we are running 2 FREE buses to the Rally for Noah in Belfast on 13th Aug 2022.
STRICTLY NO ALCOHOL ON BUSES.
Thank you to all.
💙⚡️💙⚡️💙

More love and support being shown for Noah Donohoe, Fiona and Niamh, this time by the good people of Dungannon and the wider south Tyrone area:

Local women, helped by Dungannon Councillor Barry Monteith, have organised a vigil in solidarity with the family of Noah Donohoe to be held at 6pm in Market Square, Dungannon tomorrow (Friday, 5th August 2022).
**
All welcome, including children.

Another free bus added for Belfast on Saturday 13th August to support the Donohoe family, this one from Newry if anyone needs a seat - open to parents and young people: