Latest news with #PCRachelComotto
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- General
- Daily Mail
PETER HITCHENS: Now we know why the police are too busy to bother with all those shoplifters and thugs
The amazing thing about modern Britain is what is legal. That is to say, what can you do without anything happening to you? This week it is legal to burgle, to shoplift, to travel on public transport without paying your fare, to smoke marijuana in the street, to fill your tank at a petrol station and drive away without paying. It can't be long before GBH joins the list. The police, we're told, have more important things to do. Now we know what sort of things these are. Behold PC Stephen Smith and PC Rachel Comotto. A stout jury of British citizens has just examined their actions in a South Coast care home and decided that what they did was not a crime. So it is legal, too. I've watched film of this event and advise you to do so, even if it makes you very angry. Because it contains some crucial truths about this country as it now is.
The Guardian
6 days ago
- General
- The Guardian
Sussex police officers cleared of assault against one-legged 92-year-old man
Two police officers who used a Taser and synthetic pepper spray on a one-legged 92-year-old man in a care home have been cleared of assault but will now face gross misconduct hearings. PC Stephen Smith, 51, and PC Rachel Comotto, 36, were found not guilty of assaulting Donald Burgess during a confrontation at Park Beck care home in St Leonards-on-Sea, East Sussex, in June 2022. Jurors returned their unanimous verdicts at Southwark crown court after around two hours of deliberations on Wednesday. Speaking outside court afterwards, Sussex police's assistant chief constable, Paul Court, said the officers will face gross misconduct proceedings. 'I recognise and understand the impact that this case has had on public confidence. It is with profound regret this happened,' Court said. 'The officers in this case have been held accountable to a criminal threshold and we respect the jury's decision. While this concludes the criminal investigation, both officers will now face gross misconduct proceedings.' Jurors found Smith not guilty of two counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm for his use of Pava spray and for using a baton, while Comotto was found not guilty of one count for deploying her Taser. The care home called 999 after Burgess, a single-leg amputee and wheelchair user, reportedly grabbed a knife he was given to cut his food and threatened to stab staff. The court previously heard this was 'out of character' for Burgess. 'The reason for his behaviour that day, we now know, is that he was delirious as a result of a urinary tract infection,' Judge Hehir told jurors. Smith sprayed synthetic Pava pepper spray into Burgess's face and used his baton to try to knock the knife out of Burgess's hand, with Comotto deploying her Taser, all within a minute and 23 seconds of entering the pensioner's room, the court heard. Burgess was taken to hospital after the incident and later contracted Covid, dying 22 days later aged 93. The court heard both Smith and Comotto repeatedly asked Burgess to drop the knife. Smith told jurors he did not see that Burgess was disabled and using a wheelchair until after the incident as he was focused on the knife the pensioner was holding in his hand. He added he believed Burgess 'could clearly understand what we were saying to him'. Comotto said she believed using the Taser was the safest way to 'protect' Burgess as she feared her colleague using the baton again would cause more harm. 'I'm not a trigger-happy officer,' she told the court. 'It's the first time I've fired my Taser.' The Independent Office for Police Conduct said it would liaise with Sussex police about the misconduct hearings now criminal proceedings are over. It said both officers should face a gross misconduct hearing for potential breaches of the police standards of professional behaviour relating to use of force, and authority, respect and courtesy, with Comotto facing a further misconduct allegation relating to comments she made on social media after the incident.
Sky News
6 days ago
- Politics
- Sky News
Police officers who pepper-sprayed and tasered 92-year-old amputee in care home cleared of assault
Two police officers who pepper-sprayed and tasered a 92-year-old disabled man have been cleared of assault. PC Stephen Smith and PC Rachel Comotto went on trial over the incident involving Donald Burgess, a single-leg amputee, at Park Beck care home in St Leonards-on-Sea, East Sussex, on 21 June 2022. Smith, 51, denied with two counts of assault by using Pava spray and a baton, and Comotto denied one charge of assault by discharging her Taser. They were found not guilty following a trial at Southwark Crown Court. Please refresh the page for the fullest version.
Daily Mail
6 days ago
- General
- Daily Mail
BREAKING NEWS Police officers who Tasered and pepper-sprayed 92-year-old amputee in care home are found not guilty of assault
Two police officers who Tasered and pepper-sprayed a 92-year-old amputee in a care home have been found not guilty of assault occasioning actual bodily harm. PC Stephen Smith, 51, and PC Rachel Comotto, 36, were both cleared of charges relating to Donald Burgess, a single-leg amputee and wheelchair user, after he was restrained at Park Beck care home in St Leonards-on-Sea, East Sussex. The jury at Southwark Crown Court returned a verdict just hours after being sent out for deliberations by a judge earlier today. PC Smith has been cleared of two charges relating to the discharge of Pava spray and a baton, while PC Comotto was cleared of a charge related to discharging her Taser. This is a breaking news story and is being updated.
BBC News
6 days ago
- Politics
- BBC News
Sussex police officers not guilty of assaulting 92-year-old amputee
Two police officers have been found not guilty of assault occasioning actual bodily harm after a 92-year-old amputee was pepper-sprayed and Tasered at his care Stephen Smith, 51, and Rachel Comotto, 36, denied using excessive force on Donald Burgess at Park Beck care home in St Leonards-on-Sea, East care home called 999 in June 2022 after Mr Burgess, a single-leg amputee and wheelchair user, reportedly grabbed a knife and threatened to stab Burgess was taken to hospital where he contracted Covid and died 22 days later, but the officers were not being held responsible for his death.
