Police tweet using Top Gun gif to celebrate forensics on my dead daughter was horrendous, says mother
Below the Medway Viaduct on the A21 in Kent, nettles have reclaimed a shrine left in the memory of Azra Kemal.
The 21-year-old died there in July 2020 after falling from the dual carriageway bridge. Her car had broken down nearby and caught fire. She was travelling back to London with a male friend.
Paramedics had tried in vain to save Azra and police were called to the scene, but Azra’s family were recently shocked to discover what the police tweeted in the immediate wake of that investigation.
In the tweet, posted on the day Azra died, crime scene investigators congratulate themselves on the speed of their work by using a gif from the movie Top Gun where characters Maverick and Goose high-five.
Azra Kemal fell to her death from a dual carriageway bridge
This celebration was over the fact that they “identified the deceased person within about 90 minutes of being at the scene”.
Azra’s mother Nevres Kemal told me. “That tweet was just horrendous. I could not believe that professional police officers would high-five themselves and pat themselves on the back, on the back of my daughter’s demise.
“It’s more than insensitive. It’s unacceptable. What is the mindset of people investigating crimes on our behalf?”
Another tweet celebrates the police drone work with the hashtag “crackingbitofkit”, and another reports within hours that the police “are satisfied there are no suspicious circumstances”, even though Ms Kemal says she was told they were still investigating.
Crime scene investigators used a ‘high-five’ gif from the movie Top Gun to congratulate themselves
It happened late at night. The initial suspect, the man Azra was travelling with, said that in the darkness, Azra had not seen the drop between the carriageways, as she climbed over the central reservation barrier. He was released with no further action and the investigation closed before the end of its first day.
Kate Ellis, from the Centre for Women’s Justice, who is supporting the family, said: “It strikes me that a murder investigation being opened and closed within 24 hours is not an adequate investigation.
“I think it’s shocking that with an investigation ongoing, and in fact within a few hours of Nevres having been informed of her daughter’s death, the police would brag about the expediency of their investigation or the impressiveness of their kit.”
Azra Kemal’s mural underneath the road she fell from
The family think the investigation was wrapped up too quickly.
If they hadn’t closed the case, Kent Police could have kept forensic material taken from their initial suspect, and they could have conducted a forensic post-mortem on Azra’s body, to look for clues as to whether anything physical happened to Azra before she fell.
Instead, they did a standard post-mortem, deciding that what happened was not suspicious.
An independent review of the investigation by Essex Police found that it “may have been prudent” to release the suspect under investigation rather than close the case.
The review supported the idea of conducting a forensic post-mortem, stating: “The reason for this would be to capture a forensic level of detail at post-mortem which could assist in proving or disproving matters that were raised at a later time.”
Adding that “it would have avoided unanswered questions, by being able to negate any third-party involvement”.
Azra’s mother says her daughter should have had a forensic post-mortem because of the circumstances of her death
Ms Kemal says of the police: “Do the job you are supposed to do. Look at the information, look at the leads, look at the timelines, look at the interviews, go back to the witnesses, because no one saw Azra die.
“There should be a uniform process. If there is a death and there’s no witnesses to a death, everybody should have that right to a forensic autopsy.”
Kent Police say their investigation was “full and thorough”.
A spokesperson told Sky News: “Officers determined there were no suspicious circumstances, and a man who had initially been arrested in connection with the incident was released without charge.
“A police investigation into the circumstances then continued for several months to assist an inquest by the coroner. The subsequent inquest into the death returned a verdict of misadventure.
“A complaint about the quality of the investigation was made to Kent Police in November 2020. This complaint was sent to an independent force to review, which concluded the service provided by Kent Police had been acceptable.
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“In February 2022, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) received a request to carry out a further investigation into the complaint.
“In response, the IOPC concluded that the investigation into the complaint had been ‘reasonable and proportionate’ and that an acceptable service had been provided in respect of the criminal investigation into the woman’s death. A request to review the complaint was not upheld.”
That decision has since been successfully appealed through a judicial review, and part of the IOPC investigation has been reopened.
The offending tweets have been removed, and the complaint is being reviewed by an independent police force.
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The first vote on the assisted dying bill is not only hugely consequential, it’s also hugely unpredictable and even as the vote draws near it still feels like it could go either way.
MPs will debate the bill, brought forward by Labour MP Kim Leadbeater, in parliament today before they get a free vote on the legislation.
There are a few reasons why the potential outcome of the vote is difficult to predict. Firstly, the last Commons vote on this issue was back in 2015. It was also a Private Members’ Bill and a free vote, that was defeated by 331 to 119 – 199 MPs didn’t vote and one abstained.
That may seem like a useful starting point to predict future results but there has been an unprecedented turnover of MPs since then.
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It was less than a decade ago but over two-thirds of those MPs from 2015 are no longer in parliament. This means there’s no voting record that can help us out this time round.
Secondly, it’s a free vote so we can’t, as we usually would, look to the political parties to work out the numbers.
Every single one of the 650 MPs must make up their minds for themselves and they have all taken a slightly different approach to the process.
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Some came out straight away and declared their position publicly. Some took their time and have only decided in the last few days, putting out statements on social media platforms.
There are also those who prefer to keep it to themselves, and some who are genuinely still undecided and will be until they walk through the voting lobbies.
So, to get a sense of what could happen, at Sky News we have been monitoring declarations as well as reaching out to every MP personally.
This has given us, on the eve of the second reading, an informative but still incomplete picture.
So far we have confirmed that 181 MPs will vote for the bill, while 148 say they will vote against, and 300 are either undecided or haven’t revealed their decision.
There are also 20 MPs that won’t vote – the SNP because the changes won’t apply in Scotland, Sinn Fein who don’t sit in Westminster, and the Speaker and Deputy Speakers.
Of those who will vote but whose position is still unknown, about two-thirds are Labour MPs – a big chunk of those are brand new.
This is the deciding cohort, who just a few months into their roles will make a life-or-death decision that will influence generations to come – no pressure.
Ms Leadbeater has said she hopes parliament will “show itself at its best” by voting in favour of the bill.
In a statement on Thursday night, she said: “I hope this parliament will also be remembered for this major social reform that gives people autonomy over the end of their lives and puts right an injustice that has been left on the statute books for far too long.
“People will be looking in on parliament as it debates this important change to the law – a change that, when we most need it, could bring comfort to any one of us or to somebody we love.”
Read more on assisted dying:
Analysis: Bill could be wrecked by dirty tricks
Five stories that bring the assisted dying debate home
David Cameron comes out in support of bill
How MPs are making up their minds
What does the bill propose?
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Lord Cameron to support assisted dying bill
What could make the difference?
Most MPs tell us they have been poring over the legislation line-by-line and listening intently to their constituents.
But beyond that, there are external factors that will no doubt have influenced their thinking.
Public opinion will be high on the list, with the latest YouGov poll – one of many – showing an overwhelming majority (73%) of the public are in favour of a change in the law.
The other will be how Cabinet ministers vote, with many high profile and respected names, Ed Miliband and Hilary Benn among them, coming out in favour.
MPs will vote in the House of Commons on the bill
More controversial though are those who oppose the bill.
In particular, the Health Secretary Wes Streeting and the Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood have made the news with their views.
They will both have to take a leading role in implementing the legislation if it passes.
Mr Streeting shocked Westminster when he revealed he had changed his mind after voting for the 2015 version.
He also ruffled feathers among colleagues when he appeared to breach the etiquette around free votes, by repeatedly raising concerns around extra pressures on the NHS and making the case for improving palliative care instead.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting changed his mind on the issue. Pic: PA
Mr Streeting’s position and approach have made the bill’s supporters nervous that new MPs will fall in behind him.
In contrast, other big beasts – the prime minister, the chancellor and the foreign secretary – remain silent on which way they will go, aware that their opinions could sway the result.
As it stands, after all the number crunching, it looks likely that this landmark legislation will pass the second reading.
But with so many unknowns, both sides will feel that even at this late stage, it’s still impossible to call.
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