- Ex-cop Avon and Somerset Lewis Wood, 42, accused of sharing dead body photo
<!–
<!–
<!–<!–
<!–
<!–
<!–
A former police officer has appeared in court over allegations he shared images of a dead body to family and a friend on WhatsApp.
Lewis Wood, 42, was charged with taking stills and footage from the Avon and Somerset Police computer and sharing it with loved ones on multiple occasions.
Magistrates heard these included images of a deceased male and other material relating to the arrest of a suspected child rapist.
Wood, of Bridgwater, Somerset, was charged with three counts of misconduct in a public office.
He appeared via video link at Bristol Magistrates Court today before his case was sent to Exeter Crown Court, where Wood will appear at a hearing next month.
Lewis Wood, 42, appeared in Bristol Magistrates Court (pictured) today, charged with taking stills and footage from the Avon and Somerset Police computer and sharing it with loved ones on multiple occasions
The court heard Wood, a former police constable for Avon and Somerset Police, was charged with abusing the public’s trust.
Read Related Also: Strength Training Is Your Hedge Against Steep Physical Decline in Old Age
The first charge stated that on seven occasions between 13 December 2018 and August 31 2020, he gained access to the Avon and Somerset police computer and ‘recorded video footage onto your mobile phone that was shared with various members of your friends together with comments in WhatsApp chat’.
The court heard that Wood was also charged with ‘recording images of a deceased’ onto his personal mobile phone from the police computer between 24 June 2020 and 6 August 2020.
He is then accused of sharing it with various members of his ‘family and a friend over WhatsApp ‘thereby removing the data from the control of the Avon and Somerset Constabulary’.
The case was sent to Exeter Crown Court (pictured), where Wood will appear next month
The court also heard that Wood, who was sat beside his solicitor, Jeremy Harris, was charged with recording onto his personal mobile phone video footage that he shared with family members ‘relating to the arrest of a male for rape of a child’.
The charge, that covered the period between 31 December 2019 and 3 January 2020 continued, stating that the former police officer also shared images of his witness statement on WhatsApp with his father.
Wood will next appear for his hearing at Exeter Crown Count on November 24 and he was released on unconditional bail.
His employment with Avon and Somerset Police ended in 2021.
