Yahoo News Despicable cop swore to act with integrity and humility - what he did could not have been further from it
When PC Cameron Hanson went to the home of James O'Hara in October 2021 he was met with a sorry sight.
James, 45, had suffered a head injury at the hands of mocking thug Michael Hannon and died from his injuries a week later. It was an undignified end to the life of James - a slight and gentle man, known to his family as Jay.
After punching him to the ground, Hannan ran away laughing, then sent gloating text messages, bragging about breaking his bones. James died a week later after he contracted bacterial meningitis as a result of his injuries.
Hanson, a response officer for Lancashire Constabulary, was there to investigate and begin the process of getting justice for James. Like all officers, he had sworn an oath to act with 'fairness, integrity, diligence and impartiality, upholding fundamental human rights and according equal respect to all people'.
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What he did next could not be further from his promise.
After recording the scene on his bodyworn camera, Hanson took out his personal phone. He recorded a series of audio clips and video footage of James' body, and sent them to his wife Kirstie.
It didn't end there. Kirstie, a civilian member of staff at Darwen Police Station, asked her colleague Charlotte Riley if she wanted to see video of a murder.
"Yeah, of course I do", Riley replied. "Don't show anyone. I'll get in sh*t", Kirstie warned.
But Kirstie, 33, seemed unable to heed her own advice and two days later showed the video to two other police colleagues who reported what they had seen to their superiors.
Senior officers acted fast. Within 90 minutes of the video being shown, the Hansons' phones were in the hands of their superiors. The couple were arrested the same day and an investigation was launched which uncovered a raft of misconduct dating back to 2019.
Judge Nicholas Dean KC, the Honorary Recorder of Manchester, said the case was "shocking and disturbing for what it might tell us about the culture that appears to have existed for a period of time at least within Lancashire Police".
He said the casual way the couple shared sensitive information suggested it was "not something that was necessarily unusual in their workplace."
During the investigation, it emerged James' body was not the first to have been photographed and shared by Cameron Hanson.
In February 2021, the officer had been called to the scene of a sudden death. He messaged his wife, telling her he was "just at a potential murder" and took a photo of the body, covered with a coat, and sent it to his wife.
She replied, "Babyyy that's creepy. I hope that's not your coat" - before forwarding the picture to her mother and speculating how they may have died. The couple mocked vulnerable members of the public and accessed computer systems unlawfully.
In February 2020, Hanson's ex messaged him about a body which had been found in a canal. Hanson replied: “lmao (laughing my ass off) I’ll have a gander when I’m in later ha ha.”
In January 2021, Hanson sent his wife a phone recording of body worn video taken by him when he used Pava incapacitant spray on an individual known to have mental health difficulties. He messaged her: “Two arrests, both fights. Pavad a mental health patient lol.”
Kirstie Hanson replied with a laughing emoji and wrote: “Thought you weren’t allowed to pava them.”
Camerson Hanson said: “Tis questionable but justified in this case ha ha.”
In June 2021, Cameron Hanson attended an incident where a male was sectioned under the Mental Health Act who he made an audio recording of. He texted his wife: “On an ambulance with a nutter. This guy is crazy. Big Mother F***er. Having to stand over him whilst he’s cuffed and strapped in cause he so aggressive.
“Don’t know if you can hear him. Chunnering on about Jesus and his grandma being the Queen.”
Kirstie Hanson replied: “What a weirdo.”
Cameron Hanson then messaged: “Turns out this guy has ptsd from abandonment issues after his dad left his family.”
In August 2021, Cameron Hanson was assaulted in a fracas and during the altercation struck a man over the head with some handcuffs. He then took photographs on his phone of the injuries the man sustained which Kirstie Hanson then forwarded on to Riley.
Riley texted Kirstie Hanson: “Jesus Christ. Go on Cam lad.”
Kirstie Hanson replied: “Made a mess didn’t he.”
Riley responded: “Well that’s what you get innit. What a f***ing muppet that guy is.”
In October 2021, Cameron Hanson messaged his wife after he attended a report of a sexual offence and also gave her the location. He wrote: “Rape. Some guy got through a window and raped a woman while her husband sat crying like a little bitch.”
Kirstie Hanson had been found to send an image from a police computer to a member of the public, highlighting a man's name and telling them he was a 'big criminal'. She also sent sensitive information about sex offenders to her husband and accessed the police computers without a purpose to look up what was happening in the area for Riley, who was not in work at the time.
While under investigation, Cameron Hanson, Kirstie Hanson and Charlotte Riley resigned from their positions with Lancashire Constabulary. They appeared at Manchester Crown Court on Thursday May 30, 2024.
Cameron Hanson, of Packington Brook, Oswaldtwistle, pleaded guilty to seven counts of misconduct in public office: and two counts of causing a computer to perform a function to secure/enable unauthorised access to a program/ data. He was added to the Barred List and will face gross misconduct proceedings in due course.
Kirstie Hanson, of the same address, pleaded guilty to eight counts of misconduct in public office; three counts of conspiring to cause a computer to perform a function to secure/enable unauthorised access to a program/ data; and one count of knowingly/recklessly obtaining or disclosing personal data without the consent of the controller.
Riley, of Carholme Avenue, Burnley, admitted three counts of misconduct in public office; and three counts of conspiracy to cause a computer to perform a function to secure/enable unauthorised access to a program/ data.
Cameron Hanson was jailed for 32 months, Kirstie Hanson was jailed for 18 months and Riley was handed a two year suspended sentence.
Sentencing, Judge Dean KC said: “It is hard to know how much more widespread this sort of activity was but it seems to me to be clear, in part because of the casual way you shared information, that this was not something that was necessarily unusual in your workplace.
“You were all subjected to some rules. Rules relating to the obtaining and dissemination of information but above all rules of basic decency. You disregarded those formal rules and the rules of basic decency.
“You, Cameron Hanson and Kirstie Hanson, indulged in a course of conduct extending over a significant period of time.
“You showed no sign in your messaging of any compassion for the people you spoke about or the victims whose photographs you took and distributed. On the contrary sometimes you made positive fun of people who were vulnerable and in physical distress.”
James O'Hara's mother, Janice, took to the witness box to set out how the officers' despicable actions had hurt her family. She said: “I can’t comprehend why anyone, let alone a serving police officer, could carry out such an atrocity.
“Jay was our son and a brother, a funny, charismatic character, a beautiful human being, who PC Hanson and others have so cruelly and thoughtlessly degraded. They have stripped our son of the dignity he deserved in death, it dehumanised him, all for some morbid curiosity or some form of warped bragging rights.
“The profession requires personnel with honesty, integrity, compassion and respect, and PC Hanson and his colleagues showed none of those values to us or to our son.
“They are a disgrace to the police force but more importantly a disgrace to humanity.”
DCI Eugene Swift, from Lancashire Constabulary's Anti Corruption Unit, said: “The behaviour of these three individuals has no place in Lancashire Constabulary and damages public confidence and trust in the police at both a local and national level.
“When the existence of these videos first came to light we moved quickly to secure the phones and ensure no further offending could take place. A pro-active investigation was then launched, which identified further serious offending.
“My thoughts are with the victims of this offending and I hope today’s outcome will give them some sense of justice. I want to be clear that the overwhelming majority of police officers and police staff in Lancashire are law abiding, respectful and go to work to make a difference in the communities in which they serve.
"Where there is any evidence of wrongdoing by an officer or staff member, the ACU will carry out a proactive and robust investigation – as demonstrated in this case – and work with the Crown Prosecution Service to take the appropriate action.”
Deputy Chief Constable Sam Mackenzie said: “This case will understandably leave the public feeling concerned and I know both serving and retired officers and police staff will be left feeling appalled and let down by the behaviour of these three individuals.
“For Lancashire Constabulary, one instance is one too many and detracts from the hard work and commitment to protecting the public that our police officers and staff demonstrate on a daily basis. Our anti-corruption unit within our Professional Standards Department is proactively working to identify anyone – no matter role or rank - who chooses to engage in such deplorable behaviour which is completely incompatible with the values and standards of this force.
"Where such conduct is clearly demonstrated those offenders will lose the privilege of working for Lancashire Police and we will work closely with the Crown Prosecution Service to put those individuals before the courts.”
