Ryan Connolly denies misconduct in a public office and claims the photos weren't made public and were only shared with the officer he intended them
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A police officer lay down on grass and took selfies while guarding the scene where a 16-year-old boy had been stabbed to death, a court has heard.
Ryan Connolly was on duty with Merseyside Police when tasked with standing over the cordon where teenager Daniel Gee-Jamieson was killed.
However, instead of guarding the scene, the 41-year-old "laid down" and took a selfies at the crime scene in the Belle Vale area of Liverpool in 2018.
He also allegedly captured photographs of police documents on separate occasions.
Daniel died in hospital after he was stabbed during a fight in the area, which was watched by up to 30 youths, the court heard.
Connolly, of Huyton, Merseyside, denies four counts of misconduct in a public office and is standing trial at Manchester Crown Court.
Peter Wilson, prosecuting, told the jury were "selfies of him stood there and then laying down."
Mr Wilson said: "You may think if you are guarding the scene of a murder then you would not be sending selfies whilst on duty, and would consider that to be an important job and something that deserves respect, rather than laying down taking a selfie."
The court heard that Connolly was arrested in February 2020, and when his mobile phones were seized, a number of photographs were recovered from the sent folder of WhatsApp.
Mr Wilson said: "The images are mainly of members of the public who are clearly being dealt with by Merseyside Police.
"They also include pictures of other police officers on duty or even selfies of the defendant himself whilst he is on patrol guarding a murder scene."
Other images taken between February 2014 and February 2020 included people who were detained at police stations, hospitals receiving treatment, or mental health premises.
The jury was shown the pictures which included one selfie showing the officer standing up in his police uniform and another of him lying on the grass.
The court heard nothing sensitive could be seen in the images.
Mr Wilson added: "The defendant states in his response to the misconduct allegations that the images recovered from his mobile phone had been taken for a work purpose.
"He also says that he took the images using his personal mobile phone for ease and quickness."
"His case is that none of the photographs were made public and only shared with the individual police officer he intended them to be shared with and not, under any circumstances, within a group chat.
"The prosecution case is that his actions in taking the pictures on his personal mobile and having them stored in WhatsApp and not on any police system whatsoever amounts to criminal misconduct."
Taking to the witness stand, Detective Constable Kayleigh Greaves said: "The cordon covered a large area. It took a lot of officers to guard the scene.
"There was nothing sensitive about the images.'
Mr Wilson asked DC Greaves: "If you are on guard at a murder scene, is there any reason for you to take a selfie?
The officer replied: "No."
Owen Cousins was later cleared of Daniel’s murder but convicted of manslaughter and jailed for 11 years.
The trial, expected to last into next week, continues.
