A Metropolitan Police officer who photographed a heavily decomposed dead body on his personal mobile phone before showing or offering the disturbing image to colleagues has been sacked for gross misconduct.
PC Timothy Robson took the photograph while attending a sudden death in September 2025, despite having no legitimate policing reason to capture the image on his own device.
The officer then showed or offered to show the photograph to fellow police officers over the following days, behaviour condemned at a misconduct hearing as a serious violation of the deceased person’s dignity.
Seven serving officers provided witness statements confirming that Robson had either displayed the photograph to them or offered to do so.
The incident happened on September 10, 2025, when Robson was attending the sudden death as part of his Metropolitan Police duties.
The body was heavily decomposed, and Robson had been entrusted with responsibility for the scene while awaiting the arrival of an undertaker.
According to the misconduct report, he took the photograph at precisely 8.51pm, after more senior officers had left.
The hearing was told that the deceased person’s body was already under the coroner’s jurisdiction.
However, rather than using approved police equipment for a legitimate evidential purpose, Robson deliberately captured the image on his personal mobile telephone.
The photograph was subsequently discovered during a forensic examination of his phone.
On January 8, 2026, a forensic laboratory completed an extraction from the device, confirming that the disturbing image had been taken.
Robson admitted the allegations and accepted that his behaviour breached professional standards, although he initially maintained that the wrongdoing amounted to misconduct rather than gross misconduct.
He suggested that taking the photograph had been an attempt to process the trauma of encountering the decomposed body.
But former Metropolitan Police Commander Katie Lilburn, who chaired the accelerated misconduct hearing, rejected that explanation as sufficient justification for his actions.
She pointed out that Robson could have reviewed his police body-worn video footage later at the station if he needed to reflect on the traumatic scene.
Alternatively, if there had been a legitimate policing requirement to photograph the body, he could have used an authorised police device.
The hearing chairman concluded that Robson had deliberately taken the photograph while occupying a position of responsibility and trust.
His actions were made worse by repeatedly showing or offering the image to colleagues.
Commander Lilburn found that the conduct violated the dignity owed to the deceased and risked causing serious distress to the person’s relatives and friends.
She also noted that, although Robson had not been charged with any criminal offence, his conduct was considered criminal in nature and had the potential to compromise the coronial process.
The hearing assessed both his culpability and the potential harm caused as high.
Robson, who attended the hearing with Police Federation representative PC Ria Harrington, expressed genuine remorse and demonstrated insight into the possible consequences of his behaviour.
He cooperated fully with investigators, including providing the PIN to his personal mobile phone, and made early admissions.
The hearing also received substantial character evidence describing him as an otherwise good and professional police officer.
Commander Lilburn accepted that his actions had been out of character and acknowledged the potentially traumatic circumstances of the original incident.
Nevertheless, she concluded that the misconduct was too serious to justify allowing him to remain in the force.
The hearing found breaches of professional standards relating to Discreditable Conduct, Authority, Respect and Courtesy, and Duties and Responsibilities.
All three were found to amount to gross misconduct.
Under the police regulations applicable to the case, dismissal was required unless exceptional circumstances justified a lesser outcome.
Commander Lilburn found no such circumstances.
Robson was dismissed without notice and placed on the College of Policing’s public barred list.
Metropolitan Police Service
- Stats since 1st January 2022
-
837 Misconduct Hearings
89% held in public
The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS / "the Met") is the territorial police force responsible for law enforcement in Greater London, excluding the square mile of the City of London which is the responsibility of the City of London Police.
