By James Simons-
A police officer who bought pornography at the family home of a dead child has been jailed for 12 months at Southwark Crown Court.
Disgraced police officer Avi Maharaj was asked to guard the house on 11 February 2018 after their 14-year-old son had taken his own life.
Instead Maharaj is believed to have guessed the password to the household Virgin Media account and downloaded four pornographic films. The family had initially thought their son had downloaded the clips before realising Maharaj was responsible. Judge Deborah Taylor told the shamed cop that his actions had led to a vulnerable family traumatised by the loss of their son to have a false understanding of their son’s last hours.
He said that while the parents of the boy were grieving elsewhere he had responsibility to guard the house.
“Instead of performing that duty with respect and professionalism, you took it upon yourself to guess the password to the household Virgin Media account, to act as if you were the account holder, and use it to purchase, download and view four pornography films.”
“All right-thinking people would be appalled by your gross lack of decency and respect in indulging yourself at all in those circumstances, let alone deviously, and at the expense of the bereaved parents.”
Pc Maharaj was expected to be waiting for the undertaker to take the body away when he downloaded pornography worth £25.96. He then falsified his attendance logs, claiming he left the property in Littleton Street almost two hours earlier than he really did as part of a bid to cover up his actions, the court heard.
In a letter, the boy’s father, Graham Miller, said Maharaj’s actions had initially “upset” his image of his son, adding it “made me feel like I didn’t know my own son”.
RESPONSIBLE
The boy’s father only realised his son was not responsible for the downloads when he contacted Virgin Media and was told what time the clips were downloaded.
Maharaj, who was based in Earlsfield, Wandsworth, initially denied the allegations when interviewed by police, the court heard. “He provided officers with a prepared statement in which he denied the allegation and questioned security of the premises,” Prosecutor Gregor McKinley said.
Edmund Gritt, representing Maharaj, said the defendant “expressed his wholly ashamed apologies to the Miller family”.
Image: PA