Officer of the year faces sack for threatening to ‘smash' teenager's face

Telegraph

27-05-2025

A police officer who was twice commended for saving lives could lose his job for threatening to 'smash' a teenager in the face.
Pc Lorne Castle, who was Dorset Police's officer of the year, and Pc Susannah Justice, his colleague, were asked to intercept the 15-year-old boy after he was involved in two assaults.
But during the arrest Pc Castle allegedly told the youth, who was found to be in possession of a knife, to 'stop screaming like a b----' and threatened to 'smash him' and putting his hands around the boy's neck.
The officer is now accused of committing gross misconduct in regards to authority, respect, courtesy and conduct, and use of force after his colleague reported him to her sergeant.
Mark Ley-Morgan, representing Dorset Police, told a disciplinary hearing on Tuesday that Pc Castle had admitted misconduct but denied it was a gross breach that could cost him his job.
The hearing heard that at around 5.30pm on Jan 27 the pair, who were responding to a missing person's case at the time, saw the suspect riding on an electric scooter on Bournemouth seafront.
Body cam footage played to the hearing showed Pc Castle exiting the car at speed and shouting to the suspect, referred to as Witness A, that he was under arrest but only after he already grabbed hold of him.
Mr Ley-Morgan said: 'PC Castle forced him to the ground again before telling him what he was under arrest for arrest for and put him on the ground lying on his back with his face up.
'He shouted at Witness A, 'Show me your f----g hands,' when it should have been clear the suspect was frightened or intimidated by your actions.
'He told him to put his hands behind his back when he could not comply with instruction and grabbed hold of face with his right hand and pointed at his face with his left index finger.'
Pc Castle reportedly said: 'Stop screaming like a b----. Do you understand that? Shut up.'
Mr Ley-Morgan, addressing Pc Castle directly, said: 'You grabbed his throat with your right hand and radioed, 'Can I have another unit because he's being a b----' and you then told Witness A, 'Stop shouting or I'm going to smack you.''
Pc Castle subsequently put both hands on Witness A's throat and then used a headlock and accused him of resisting when he 'should have known on balance the suspect was afraid for his own safety due to your aggressive and intimidating behaviour'.
He was handcuffed and put in leg restraints, but in doing so Pc Castle is alleged to have used excessive force.
On the footage, Witness A can be heard screaming: 'He's trying to kill me.'
He also says he had 'done nothing' and claimed he was autistic and he could not breathe. During the scuffle a knife was spotted.
Pc Castle said in a previous statement that he was aware the suspect had allegedly been involved in two unrelated assaults.
He said he assessed the threat from the suspect as 'high and unknown' and took him to the floor for his own safety. He claimed he shouted to 'instil dominance verbally but he was still struggling so I used further verbal shock to maintain control'.
Pc Castle claimed he was aware of the youth's associates approaching from behind and, because of the amount of struggling, he grabbed Witness A's neck and to control him.
He explained officers are taught to say they will 'strike' a suspect and PC Castle used 'smash' because it was language he thought Witness A might better understand and because wanted him to stop resisting.
He now accepted he had made a number of serious mistakes.
'Belittling and insulting'
Mr Ley-Morgan said: 'He has changed his case in an ill disguised attempt at damage limitation and to try to explain away his actions, which were wholly unjustified. It is a cynical attempt to gain sympathy.
'No evidence has been offered in support of his claim to be suffering from stress nor did it cause him to behave in the way he did. Witness A's reaction is one of fear. He is petrified.
'No reasonable officer would have thought to call him a b----. It was used to belittle and insult. And he had no right to categorise what he was doing as resisting. He was trying to protect himself.
'The suspect did nothing that could fairly be described as threatening or aggressive. He repeatedly asked what he had done and Pc Castle should have used that as an opportunity to de-escalate situation.
'The other young people were not presenting as a risk to officer and his colleagues and a knife did fall out but he did not know he had it.
'Pc Castle could and should have dealt with Witness A in a different way. He was caught out by his own response and the force he used was not proportionate reasonable or necessary.'
The hearing continues.