'Mad Mullah' police chief caused 'profound distress' by showing photo of headless crash victim

Richard Brunstrom, Chief Constable of North Wales, released the shocking images without consulting the family.

An investigation by the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) found the chief constable had sent an email before the summit demanding more gruesome pictures to illustrate his road safety presentation.

He wrote: "We must have better slides than the suicide. Not enough. Not gruesome enough. Motorcyclist is outstandingly good."

Mark Gibney, 40, a father-of-three, was killed in a horrific accident on a remote North Wales road in 2003 while riding his motorbike.

But as part of his road safety summit, Mr Brunstrom used a shocking picture which showed the decapitated head of the motorcyclist lying on a grass verge, encased in a helmet with the visor raised and his eyes still open.

The move led to his widow Eileen and children discovering the extent of the horrific injuries Mr Gibney had suffered in the crash - details of which had been kept from them to spare their feeling.

Yesterday the IPCC said the move had caused caused caused 'anxiety and distress' to the whole Gibney family and while the chief constable did not need the permission of the family to use the picture, his actions had caused emotional grief.

The IPCC cleared the chief constable of any breach of the police code of conduct but said the incident should have been avoided.

Richard Reynolds of the IPCC said: "What it does find, however, is that this incident could, and possibly should, have been avoided.

"This incident has caused the Gibney family considerable anxiety and distress and this upset should not be under-estimated.

"The report speaks for itself on the lack of sufficient planning, risk assessments and damage limitation actions, together with the lack of involvement of wider counsel, all of which might have avoided this incident."

The IPCC also called for more consultation with legal advisors and the police authority in the future to avoid a repeat of the incident.

But last night the family renewed their calls for Mr Brunstrom - nicked named the Mad Mullah of the Traffic Taliban for his relentless pursuit of road safety - to be sacked.

In a statement released by their solicitor, Paul Beck, they said: "Chief Constable Richard Brunstrom has accepted full responsibility for personally selecting the gruesome images.

"His call for more shocking pictures at the briefing led to the gruesome details of Mark's death being revealed to his widow Eileen and his children, who had previously been shielded from this information.

"By his actions, Brunstrom caused the Gibney family profound, unnecessary and lasting distress. Any Chief Constable occupies a position of great trust and yet it is clear Richard Brunstrom acted without the family's permission and with no thought to their welfare.

"Having seen the IPCC's comments, the Gibney family once again call for the dismissal of Richard Brunstrom.

2Some 1,600 people have already signed a petition to the IPCC in London, requesting Brunstrom be removed from his post. It is high time Richard Brunstrom was made to accept responsibility for his actions."

Mr Beck said the family were 'exploring' their legal options and may take further action.

He said: "The report may exonerate Mr Brunstrom from any criminal act but it shows that he displayed a complete lack of compassion for the family of Mark Gibney."

Vale of Clwyd Labour MP Chris Ruane said: "Definite lessons need to be learned. Common sense says this incident should not have happened. All this has done is compound the grief of the Gibney family."

Clwyd West Conservative MP David Jones said: "This was a very unfortunate episode. No doubt the police will learn that sensitivity is required when dealing with such distressing matters."