The Western Australia Police force is being sued after photographs of two men who died in the desert outback were circulated worldwide on the Internet.

ADVERTISEMENT

Guy Richards said his family was shattered to learn the official police photographs of the desiccated bodies of his relatives John Richards and Mac Cody were circulated via e-mail, and ended up on a U.S. Web site.

"I want top jobs gone because it is a total failure of a police system that has brought this on my family," Richards told the Australian Broadcasting Corp.

The two men, 41 and 21, died when their four-wheel drive vehicle broke down in the Great Sandy Desert earlier this year.

The report said the photos were sent to almost 600 officers, 187 of whom forwarded it on, with 50 of those sending it outside the police service.

Acting Police Commissioner Chris Dawson said disciplinary action was under way, and the matter had also been referred to the federal Corruption and Crime Commission.