A former officer with the Surrey Police, Mr Baseer Ahmed, has been dismissed for gross misconduct after improperly accessing body-worn camera footage from a high-profile incident. The footage is believed to be related to the tragic deaths at Epsom College, where headteacher Emma Pattison, her daughter Lettie, and her husband George Pattison were found dead in February last year.

The misconduct panel found that Mr. Ahmed viewed the footage on February 7, without a clear policing purpose, which breached professional standards. These standards strictly regulate access to such sensitive material to ensure it is not viewed without necessity. The incident in question was a significant local and national case, intensifying the impropriety of Mr Ahmed’s actions.

Emma Pattison, aged 45 at the time of her death, was a respected former headteacher at Croydon High School in Selsdon before her tenure at Epsom College. The circumstances surrounding the deaths, believed to be a murder-suicide by Mr Pattison, had already been widely covered in the media when Mr Ahmed accessed the footage.

At the time of the incident, Mr Ahmed was serving as a Staff Officer for Chief Superintendent Budd and was responsible for sourcing additional data. However, his role did not justify his access to the footage from the incident, as it occurred in a different division and he was not assigned to investigate or review the case.

The panel’s decision underscores the importance of maintaining strict controls on the access and use of body-worn camera footage to protect the integrity of police investigations and the privacy of individuals involved in such sensitive cases. Mr. Ahmed’s dismissal serves as a reminder of the serious consequences of violating these protocols.