Emiliano Sala death images: Pair face prison over accessing mortuary footage

Two people have been warned they face jail after admitting accessing CCTV footage of footballer Emiliano Sala’s post-mortem examination.

The 28-year-old had just signed for Cardiff City when the private plane he was travelling in crashed into the English Channel north of Guernsey on 21 January.

His body was recovered from the wreckage of the plane on 6 February and a post-mortem examination was carried out the following day at Bournemouth Mortuary.

A police investigation was launched after a graphic image of Sala’s body was widely circulated on social media.

It was understood to show his torso, with a distinctive tattoo on his arm, mid-examination.

Sherry Bray, 49, and Christopher Ashford, 62, appeared at Swindon Crown Court on Friday, where they admitted accessing CCTV footage of Sala’s post-mortem examination.

Bray was the director of a CCTV company in Chippenham which held the out-of-hours contract to monitor the cameras at the mortuary in Bournemouth and Ashford was an employee, according to police.

Ashford, of Calne in Wiltshire, admitted three counts of securing unauthorised access to computer material between 9 and 11 February this year.

Bray, of Corsham also in Wiltshire, admitted three counts of securing unauthorised access to computer material between April last year and February this year.

Two of these related to her using using the CCTV equipment at Bournemouth Mortuary to access the post-mortem examination of Sala in February, while the third related to the autopsy of another person, Andrew Latcham.

Bray also admitted perverting the course of public justice by instructing Ashford to “delete your pics” on 12 February, and the next day deleting the post-mortem cameras from the live feed camera facility and deleting the post-mortem image of Sala from her mobile phone.

Judge Peter Crabtree warned the pair they both face jail.

“The starting point is custody undoubtably in this case, it’s extremely serious,” he said.

The Crown Prosecution Service’s website says the maximum penalty for securing unauthorised access to computer material contrary to section one of the Computer Misuse Act 1990 is two years imprisonment.

Perverting the course of justice carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment, a fine, or both, it added.

Bray and Ashford were both released on bail to appear at the same court on 20 September.

During the course of their inquiry, investigators found both Bray and Ashford had illegally accessed the CCTV of Sala’s post-mortem, and that Bray had taken photographs of the footage on her mobile phone and sent a picture to another person using Facebook Messenger.

Evidence from Bray’s phone also revealed she had taken a picture in the same mortuary of the body of Mr Latcham, who had died in non-suspicious circumstances in Dorset.

Speaking after the hearing, Detective Inspector Gemma Vinton of Wiltshire Police said Bray and Ashford had caused “additional unnecessary distress and heartache” to the bereaved relatives.

Referring to their crimes, she said: “They have been very distressing for the families involved at what is already a traumatic time when people are grieving for their relatives.

“The actions of Bray and Ashford caused additional unnecessary distress and heartache, and I hope the families will now be able to concentrate on grieving for their loved ones.”

(c) Sky News 2019: Emiliano Sala death images: Pair face prison over accessing mortuary footage