More than 20 years after the shocking murder of Sally Anne Bowman on Blenheim Crescent in South Croydon, a senior police officer has been found to have committed gross misconduct for keeping crime scene photos showing the bloodied body of the teenager for his “personal gratification”.
Detective Sergeant Jason Grafham would have been dismissed from the Metropolitan Police as a result of the findings, but he retired from the force the day before his tribunal began.
Grafham played no part in the tribunal’s hearing. Grafham has spent the past year and a half suspended from duty.
Grafham also faced eight allegations that he made offensive and derogatory comments to colleagues – six of these related to female colleagues and the majority were sexual in nature. Seven of those allegations against him were proven.
Grafham worked at the Central Specialist Crime Command, which has its headquarters at Scotland Yard. In December 2024, complaints relating to Grafham’s inappropriate comments were made to senior managers. As part of the misconduct investigation, it came to light that Grafham had shown a colleague material relating to the Sally Anne Bowman case from September 2005.
Photocopies of the images were found during a search of Grafham’s desk.
One witness said she believed he had kept them for “entertainment and bragging purposes”.
Murder victim: Sally Anne Bowman was 18 when killed in South Croydon
She said she had found it “highly inappropriate” and “disturbing” when she saw him show photographs of the crime scene to a colleague.
Another witness said that Mr Grafham’s frequent referral to his work on the Sally Anne Bowman case had become a “running joke” in the office.
In his defence, Grafham’s legal representative claimed he had kept the photographs for “policing purposes”. He said Grafham was “incredibly proud” of his role as an exhibits officer in the case, which led to the conviction of Mark Dixie, who in 2008 was jailed for life for the rape and murder of Sally Anne Bowman.
Sally Anne Bowman had been a pupil at the BRIT School, and was working as a hairdresser and as a model at the time of her death, when she was aged 18.
Tribunal chairman Commander Paul Trevers said displaying the photos without any policing purpose “was profoundly inappropriate and failed to treat the victim with dignity”.
Referring to Sally Anne’s family, Commander Trevers said: “Even after 20 years, the emotional harm, grief and disruption remains significant and the officer’s actions compounded this.”
He said the behaviour was “wholly inconsistent with locally recognised practice” and had “significant potential to undermine confidence in policing standards”.
There was no policing purpose for Grafham to do this, nor to have retained the material for such a long period.
Detective Chief Superintendent Angela Craggs, who leads Central Specialist Crime Command, said: “The actions of former DS Grafham were despicable, incomprehensible and deeply disrespectful. I am profoundly sorry to the family and loved ones of Sally Anne Bowman for the additional pain and distress caused to them by what he did.
“Grafham’s comments to colleagues were also incredibly offensive and inappropriate. There is no place in the organisation for those who think such behaviour and language is acceptable.
“We are all appalled by his conduct and grateful to colleagues who had the confidence to come forward and report their concerns, which we were able to swiftly act on.”
According to the Met, the hearing found Grafham had breached standards of professional behaviour in relation to discreditable conduct, authority, respect and courtesy, and equality and diversity at the level of gross misconduct and that he would have been dismissed without notice.
Grafham will also be added to the College of Policing barred list, preventing him from re-joining the police or working for a number of other policing-related bodies.
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