Two Metropolitan police officers have been issued final written warnings for what a misconduct hearing described as 'highly inappropriate' behaviour. The officers, PC Billy Manning and PC Zak Malik, took photos of a deceased elderly resident in Dalston, east London, in 2021 on their personal phones. PC Malik photographed the deceased, whose body had been decomposing for 'some days or weeks', and sent the image to PC Manning via WhatsApp.
Details of the Misconduct
The following year, during a taser training course at Shoreditch police station, PC Manning discussed 'difficult situations' with other officers and showed them the photo, stating, 'I've been to a bad one, I will show you the picture.' Two officers reported PC Manning to their seniors, feeling 'uncomfortable', leading to his arrest. Analysis of his phone revealed additional pictures 'relating to victims, suspects and evidence'.
WhatsApp Group 'Away Days'
A WhatsApp group called 'Away Days', created by PC Manning, contained sexist, homophobic, ableist, and transphobic content. Another officer, PC Frankie Jordan, attended a sudden-death situation with PC Manning, where photos were found on both their personal phones. PC Jordan told investigators he 'did not believe that he had done anything wrong' and that he and colleagues routinely took photos of evidence on personal phones and sent them via WhatsApp, as they had not been allocated work mobile phones and police-issued tablets were 'sub-standard'. He denied deliberately retaining images, claiming he 'forgot that they were there'.
Conflicting Guidelines
In 2022, the team's senior leadership decided that personal phones should never be used for policing purposes. However, the misconduct panel heard evidence of 'confused and conflicting guidelines' interpreted differently within the Met's senior leadership team. After a public misconduct hearing held between November 2025 and February 2026, PC Manning received a two-year final written warning, and PC Jordan received a three-year final written warning.
Met Police Response
A Met spokesperson stated: 'All allegations relating to misconduct at the Met Police are taken very seriously and are thoroughly investigated, regardless of who they are committed by. The actions of PC Manning and PC Jordan were highly inappropriate and fell below the standards expected of them as an officer. Based on the evidence heard by the Misconduct Hearing, they were both issued with a final written warning for two and three years respectively. We would like to apologise to those affected by the officer's actions and for any distress caused.'
