Latest news with #WilliamHarty
Sky News
10-05-2025
- Sky News
Special constable jailed after taking pictures of dying man from bodycam footage
A special constable has been jailed after taking pictures on his phone from bodycam footage showing a dying man. Former police volunteer William Heggs, 23, was sentenced to 12 months' imprisonment at Leicester Crown Court on Friday after showing the photos of victim William Harty, 28, to another officer and storing them on his Snapchat account. Mr Harty was found seriously injured in a residential street in Leicester on 25 October 2021 and Heggs had attended the scene, helping with CPR before paramedics arrived. Mr Harty died in hospital a day later and the man responsible for his injuries, his brother-in-law Martin Casey, was subsequently convicted of his manslaughter. Heggs showed the pictures he had taken of bodycam footage of Mr Harty's body to a Leicestershire Police constable, who reported Heggs. His phone was seized and officers discovered other photographs and video clips of bodyworn footage of incidents Heggs had attended on duty, including of a knife seizure, use of baton and pepper spray, and a man with an injured hand receiving first aid. He also took pictures of a police computer screen, showing details of crimes and suspects, without consent. Heggs stored the materials in a folder his Snapchat account and disclosed graphic details - most of which were not in the public domain - about the injuries to a woman who was killed in a road traffic collision he had attended, to a friend on the social media platform. Heggs was suspended from the force in November 2021 and resigned in October 2024 before pleading guilty to 11 computer misuse and data protection offences this March. Mr Harty's widow, Mandy Casey, said in a victim impact statement read to the court that Heggs "took (her) husband's dignity when he was most vulnerable". "You don't take someone's dignity and pride from them on their deathbed." She continued: "When I found out special constable Heggs had done this, I just wanted to ask why. He has traumatised me. I feel I will never know if he showed them to others." Ms Casey said she was still scared that photos of her husband's body might appear on social media. She added that she had lost trust in the police. Judge Timothy Spencer told Heggs, who has autism and ADHD, that he was "probably too immature to be working as a police officer" as he handed down the sentence. He said Heggs had received "extensive training", including on the importance of data protection, and knew he should only share materials for "a genuine policing purpose". Heggs's actions had "significantly undermined" public trust and confidence in police, according to the judge. Malcolm McHaffie, from the Crown Prosecution Service, added: "William Heggs abused the public's trust in the office he held as a special police constable. "He violated the dignity of the deceased victims for no apparent reason other than what could be considered personal fascination and to gain credibility among his peers."
BBC News
09-05-2025
- BBC News
Ex-Leicestershire officer took photos of dying man from footage
A grieving widow said a special constable who took photos of footage of her husband as he lay dying "took his dignity" when he was at his most vulnerable. William Heggs, a volunteer officer with Leicestershire Police, stored images of manslaughter victim William Harty on his Snapchat account then showed them to another officer, saying: "I know I shouldn't have".Heggs, 23, of Copeland Drive in Leicester, had attended the scene of the killing in October 2021, and gave Mr Harty CPR before paramedics Friday, he was jailed for a year after he had previously admitted 11 computer misuse and data protection offences at Leicester Crown Court. Mr Harty, 28, died in hospital the next day having suffered head injuries, the court heard. Mr Harty's brother-in-law Martin Casey was convicted of his manslaughter in May was said to have been an "exemplary" officer until it was discovered he had taken photographs on his personal phone from body-worn footage of Mr Harty as he lay fatally injured in Bedale Drive, the charges he admitted was one that he "accessed body-worn footage covering a crime scene".Mr Harty's widow Mandy Casey was in court and said in a victim impact statement she had lost trust in the police and remained scared that she might see photographs of her husband's body on social added: "You don't take someone's dignity and pride from them on their deathbed."He took my husband's dignity when he was most vulnerable. When I found out special constable Heggs had done this, I just wanted to ask 'why'."He has traumatised me. I feel I will never know if he showed them to others." The court heard Heggs had also taken photographs and videos of a knife seizure, use of baton and pepper spray, and a man with an injured hand receiving first also took a photograph showing details of a man who had been convicted of a sexual offence, including his date of birth, and 12 pictures of a police computer screen, which showed details of crimes and had stored the images in a folder on Snapchat named "My eyes only". Investigations by both Leicestershire Police and the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) found Heggs had also shared graphic details, most of which were not in the public domain, about injuries a woman killed in a road accident to a friend on Snapchat. 'You lacked maturity' Heggs was suspended from the force from November 2021 until he resigned in October 2024. He pleaded guilty to 11 computer misuse and data protection offences at Leicester Crown Court on 19 March Timothy Spencer KC said Heggs was "probably too immature to be working as a police officer".He said: "It is clear you did not lack enthusiasm and your policing was, at times, of an exemplary standard, but you lacked maturity."You had received extensive training, you knew the importance of data protection and knew you should only share materials for a genuine policing purpose."You knew the lines were drawn and the lines were very clear."He accepted that Heggs' actions were not out of "wickedness", but said the defendant's claims that he accessed the material so he could learn from the experience and become a better officer were "far-fetched".Malcolm McHaffie, head of the Crown Prosecution Service's special crime division, said: "William Heggs abused the public's trust in the office he held as a special police constable. "He violated the dignity of the deceased victims for no apparent reason other than what could be considered personal fascination and to gain credibility among his peers."
The Independent
09-05-2025
- The Independent
Jail for special constable who accessed video of dying man and took photos of it
A grieving widow said a special constable who was jailed for 12 months after accessing video footage of her husband's body as he lay dying in the street and taking photos of it 'took his dignity' when he was at his most vulnerable. Former Leicestershire Police volunteer William Heggs, 23, was said to have been an 'exemplary' officer until it was discovered he had taken photographs on his personal phone from body-worn footage of 28-year-old William Harty as he lay fatally injured in Bedale Drive, Leicester, on October 25 2021. Heggs, of Copeland Avenue, Leicester, had attended the scene then aged 20 and gave CPR to Mr Harty, but he died in hospital the next day having suffered head injuries. Mr Harty's brother-in-law Martin Casey was later convicted of his manslaughter. A police investigation was launched after he showed images he had taken from the body-worn footage of Mr Harty's body and stored on his Snapchat account to a colleague who said she did not like seeing blood. Leicester Crown Court heard Heggs, who was suspended from the force until he resigned in October last year, said: 'I know I shouldn't have', as he showed her the graphic pictures. The colleague reported him to his line manager, which led to an investigation that uncovered a number of other offences. Mr Harty's widow Mandy Casey was in court on Friday as Heggs was jailed for 12 months after admitting 11 computer misuse and data protection offences, including securing unauthorised access to data and recklessly obtaining or disclosing personal data. When Heggs's phone was seized by officers, they found he had 'repeatedly and flagrantly' breached policing rules of which he would have been fully aware due to extensive training, prosecutor Cathlyn Orchard told the court. Over a period of six months between July and December 2021, Heggs shared graphic details of the injuries suffered by a woman who had died in a road traffic collision to a Snapchat contact, had shared body-worn footage of a fellow police officer falling over with another colleague and laughed about it, and had taken photographs and videos which involved a knife seizure, use of a baton and pepper spray, and a man with an injured hand receiving first aid. He had also taken a photograph showing details of a man who had been convicted of a sexual offence, including his date of birth, and 12 photographs of a police computer screen on his personal mobile phone which showed details of various crimes and suspects, without consent. The former volunteer, who joined the force part-time in January 2021 as he studied for a policing degree at De Montfort University, kept the photos and videos in a Snapchat folder called 'My eyes only'. There is nothing to suggest he shared them with anyone on social media, but he did admit showing his mother one of the photographs. In a victim impact statement read to the court, Ms Casey said she had lost trust in the police and remained scared that she might see photographs of her husband's body appearing on social media. She said: 'You don't take someone's dignity and pride from them on their deathbed.' Ms Casey added: 'He took my husband's dignity when he was most vulnerable. When I found out special constable Heggs had done this, I just wanted to ask why. 'He has traumatised me. I feel I will never know if he showed them to others.' Judge Timothy Spencer said Heggs, who has autism and ADHD, was 'probably too immature to be working as a police officer' as he jailed him for 12 months. He said: 'It is clear you did not lack enthusiasm and your policing was, at times, of an exemplary standard, but you lacked maturity. 'You had received extensive training, you knew the importance of data protection and knew you should only share materials for a genuine policing purpose. 'You knew the lines were drawn and the lines were very clear.' He said Heggs, who appeared in the dock wearing a dark suit and white shirt with pink tie and looked ahead as he was sentenced, had carried out 'repeated and persistent breaches of well-understood boundaries'. Judge Spencer accepted that Heggs's actions were not out of 'wickedness', but said the defendant's claims that he accessed the material so he could learn from the experience and become a better officer were 'far-fetched'. He said Heggs's actions had 'significantly undermined' public trust and confidence in the police. The judge added: 'You have a raft of excellent references and your on-the-ground policing was, at times, absolutely exemplary. 'You could have been a huge asset to the police and to society. There is so much good in you and it is such a tragedy that you have thrown what could have been a really good career away.' Members of Heggs's family sobbed in the public gallery as he was led down to the cells. Malcolm McHaffie, Head of the Crown Prosecution Service's Special Crime Division, said after the sentencing: 'William Heggs abused the public's trust in the office he held as a special police constable. 'He violated the dignity of the deceased victims for no apparent reason other than what could be considered personal fascination and to gain credibility among his peers. 'He repeatedly misused his authority to access police computers and flagrantly breached data protection law in disclosing personal data to members of the public. 'He was not authorised to take photographs of body-worn footage on his personal mobile phone nor share that footage with third parties. His actions were insensitive and illegal. 'The CPS will always seek to prosecute this type of offending, and it is only right that William Heggs is punished for his actions.'
Daily Mail
09-05-2025
- Daily Mail
Special Constable jailed for storing photos of dying punch victim on Snapchat, sending grim details about fatal car crash to friend and taking photos of police computer records
A grieving widow said a special constable who took photos of video footage of her husband's body as he lay dying in the street 'took his dignity' as he was jailed for 12 months. William Heggs, 23, a volunteer officer with Leicestershire Police, used his mobile phone to take photographs of body-cam footage showing William Harty, who died after a fight with his brother-in-law in October 2021. Heggs had attended the scene of the attack when Mr Harty, 28, was found seriously injured and had assisted with resuscitation before paramedics arrived. The following month, while on duty, Heggs showed the image of Mr Harty to a police constable telling him: 'I know I shouldn't have'. Heggs had clips of people being restrained, arrested and stop searched; photos of injuries; and of slides showing crime suspects on his phone Leicester Crown Court heard When Heggs's phone was seized by officers, they found he had 'repeatedly and flagrantly' breached policing rules of which he would have been fully aware due to extensive training. Prosecutor Cathlyn Orchard told the court that over a period of six months between July and December 2021, Heggs shared graphic details of the injuries suffered by a woman who had died in a road traffic collision to a Snapchat contact. He also shared body-worn footage of a fellow police officer falling over with another colleague and laughed about it, took photographs and videos which involved a knife seizure, use of a baton and pepper spray, and a man with an injured hand receiving first aid. He had also taken a photograph showing details of a man who had been convicted of a sexual offence, including his date of birth, and 12 photographs of a police computer screen on his personal mobile phone which showed details of various crimes and suspects, without consent. The former volunteer, who joined the force part-time in January 2021 as he studied for a policing degree at De Montfort University, kept the photos and videos in a Snapchat folder called 'My eyes only'. There is nothing to suggest he shared them with anyone on social media, but he did admit showing his mother one of the photographs. Heggs, who remained suspended from the force from November 2021 until his resignation in October 2024, claimed had neurodiversity issues and told investigators he had taken the photos to help him process his feelings about the incidents. But he pleaded guilty to 11 computer misuse and data protection offences on the day he was due to stand trial. He admitted nine counts of causing a computer to perform function to secure/enable unauthorised access to a program or data held in a computer or to enable any such access to be so secured, contrary to sections 1(1) and (3) of the Computer Misuse Act 1990, and two counts of knowingly/recklessly obtaining or disclosing personal data without consent at Leicester Crown Court. On Friday he was sentenced today to 12 months' imprisonment at the same court. Mr Harty's widow Mandy Casey was in court. Her brother Martin Casey was jailed for three years and four months in 2022 after admitting manslaughter of her husband. In a victim impact statement read to the court, Ms Casey said she had lost trust in the police and remained scared that she might see photographs of her husband's body appearing on social media. She said: 'You don't take someone's dignity and pride from them on their deathbed.' Ms Casey added: 'He took my husband's dignity when he was most vulnerable. When I found out special constable Heggs had done this, I just wanted to ask why. 'He has traumatised me. I feel I will never know if he showed them to others.' Judge Timothy Spencer said Heggs, who has autism and ADHD, was 'probably too immature to be working as a police officer' as he jailed him for 12 months. He said: 'It is clear you did not lack enthusiasm and your policing was, at times, of an exemplary standard, but you lacked maturity. 'You had received extensive training, you knew the importance of data protection and knew you should only share materials for a genuine policing purpose. 'You knew the lines were drawn and the lines were very clear.' He said Heggs, who appeared in the dock wearing a dark suit and white shirt with pink tie and looked ahead as he was sentenced, had carried out 'repeated and persistent breaches of well-understood boundaries'. Judge Spencer accepted that Heggs's actions were not out of 'wickedness', but said the defendant's claims that he accessed the material so he could learn from the experience and become a better officer were 'far-fetched'. He said Heggs's actions had 'significantly undermined' public trust and confidence in the police. The judge added: 'You have a raft of excellent references and your on-the-ground policing was, at times, absolutely exemplary. 'You could have been a huge asset to the police and to society. There is so much good in you and it is such a tragedy that you have thrown what could have been a really good career away.' Members of Heggs's family sobbed in the public gallery as he was led down to the cells. The prosecution followed an initial investigation by Leicestershire Police followed by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC). Malcolm McHaffie, Head of the Crown Prosecution Service's Special Crime Division, said: 'William Heggs abused the public's trust in the office he held as a special police constable. He violated the dignity of the deceased victims for no apparent reason other than what could be considered personal fascination and to gain credibility among his peers. 'He repeatedly misused his authority to access police computers and flagrantly breached data protection law in disclosing personal data to members of the public. 'He was not authorised to take photographs of body-worn footage on his personal mobile phone nor share that footage with third parties. His actions were insensitive and illegal. 'The CPS will always seek to prosecute this type of offending, and it is only right that William Heggs is punished for his actions.' IOPC Director Derrick Campbell said: 'The court heard that ex-special constable Heggs has neurodiversity issues and he told our investigators he had taken the photos to help him process his feelings about the incidents. 'However he would have known from his training that his actions breached data protection rules, and in an apparent bid to hide images of a crime scene body he transferred them to a password protected file on his phone as police arrived at his home to interview him. 'Sharing confidential and sensitive police information in the way that he did was a clear abuse of the power and trust placed in him, and his conviction sends a strong message that this kind of behaviour will not be tolerated.' Martin Casey, then 30, accepted unlawfully killing his 'best friend' and brother-in-law 'Billy' Harty, 28, who died following a drunken and drug-fuelled street fight. He stood trial for murder but was cleared by a jury. Mr Harty was married to Casey's sister and the two men were described as close friends since childhood. They were also workmates, who were setting up a roofing and gardening business together. His trial heard they began fighting in the street following an all-night drinking session, when cocaine was also consumed. They began grappling before both fell to the ground, where Casey punched him repeatedly. Officers who arrived at 5.15am found Mr Harty unconscious and unresponsive. They commenced CPR before an ambulance arrived, but Mr Harty died in hospital a short time later. After being told of the death, Casey handed himself into the police, telling officers they had both been in a fight, but gave 'no comment' interviews. When he gave evidence in court he said he never intended to seriously injure his brother-in-law but admitted manslaughter.
