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Ex-Lincolnshire PC shared bodycam footage of him tasering man

Ex-Lincolnshire PC shared bodycam footage of him tasering man

BBC News4 days ago
A former Lincolnshire Police officer who shared bodycam footage of him tasering a suspect during an arrest has been found guilty of gross misconduct.Taylor Packer, who was based in Skegness, sent the footage to a friend, bragging the man had "gone down like a sack of potatoes".He also sent "incredibly offensive" racist messages, used discriminatory language on Snapchat and kept confidential police information on his mobile phone, a misconduct hearing was told.A panel earlier ruled Packer would have been dismissed from the force for gross misconduct if he had not already resigned in March 2024.
The hearing at the Nettleham police headquarters, near Lincoln, heard the former officer had tasered a suspect who became aggressive while attending a domestic assault in October 2023.He uploaded the footage to the police computer system but later accessed and filmed it, before sharing the material.Later that month, Packer also shared details about another three people who had been arrested to a friend, including names and a vehicle linked to them.The former officer's actions were deemed to be gross misconduct, breaking the standards for respect and courtesy, orders and instructions, confidentiality, equality and diversity, and discreditable conduct.In giving his ruling, Chief Constable Paul Gibson described the officer's behaviour as "blatant and premeditated", and said it "undermined confidence" in the force.Packer, who did not attend the hearing, had shown "no remorse", he added.
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