Latest news with #Tasered
Otago Daily Times
5 days ago
- Otago Daily Times
Man carrying knives arrested
A Dunedin man carrying six knives allegedly threatened a St Kilda woman early yesterday before pulling a blade on police. The woman was woken at 5am by loud bangs outside her home and saw a man she knew hitting her vehicle with an object. When she yelled out to him, the 20-year-old man waved a knife around "in a threatening manner", Acting Sergeant Matt Nichols said. Police found the man in Portobello Rd. He pulled out a knife and threatened the officers, was Tasered and arrested, Sgt Nichols said. The man, who was carrying six knives, was charged with possessing offensive weapons and behaving threateningly. — APL
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Police who pepper-sprayed and Tasered pensioner face sack despite being cleared
Two police officers who Tasered and pepper-sprayed a one-legged pensioner face being sacked despite being cleared of assault. Pc Stephen Smith, 51, and Pc Rachel Comotto, 36, were accused of using excessive force on Donald Burgess during a confrontation at the Park Beck care home in St Leonards-on-Sea, East Sussex, in June 2022. On Wednesday, jurors found Pc Smith not guilty of two counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm, while Pc Comotto was found not guilty of one count for deploying her Taser. But Asst Chief Constable Paul Court, who spoke outside Southwark Crown Court following the verdicts, said the officers would be facing gross misconduct proceedings. Police were called to the care home after Mr Burgess reportedly grabbed a knife he was given to cut his food and threatened to stab staff. Within 83 seconds of entering his room, Pc Smith sprayed synthetic Pava pepper spray into Mr Burgess's face and used his baton to try and knock the knife out of Mr Burgess's hand, with Pc Comotto deploying her Taser. Mr Burgess was taken to hospital after the incident. He later contracted Covid and died 22 days later, aged 93. The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said that 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. Pc Comotto faces a further misconduct allegation relating to comments she made on social media after the incident. The watchdog said it would liaise with Sussex Police about the misconduct hearings now that criminal proceedings were over. The court previously heard what happened was 'out of character' for Mr Burgess, whose movements with the knife were described by Donna Gardner, the deputy care home manager, as 'extremely quick'. 'The reason for his behaviour that day, we now know, is that he was delirious as a result of a urinary tract infection,' judge Christopher Hehir told jurors. Steve Cooper, the care-home manager, had previously told jurors Mr Burgess had been threatening staff for more than 30 minutes with a serrated knife before they decided to call 999. 'He was very aggressive and threatening to hurt my members of staff,' he said. 'We tried to use different de-escalation techniques. He wasn't responding to anything we said. He had a look in his eyes I've never seen before – he wasn't the Donald I knew.' He said Mr Burgess jabbed the knife towards him and told him: 'I'm going to murder you, and I'll enjoy it.' The court heard both Pc Smith and Pc Comotto repeatedly asked Mr Burgess to drop the knife, with Pc Smith warning him: 'Put the knife down, mate, or you will be sprayed or Tasered. That's up to you.' Footage from body-worn cameras played to the jury during the trial showed Pc Smith then discharging the spray directly into Mr Burgess's face. Mr Burgess then raised the knife a couple of times as Pc Smith uses his baton to try and get the knife out of his hand. When this failed, Pc Comotto deployed her Taser. Pc Smith previously told jurors he did not see that Mr Burgess was disabled and using a wheelchair until after the incident as he was focused on the knife the pensioner was holding. He added he believed Mr Burgess 'could clearly understand what we were saying to him' as he reportedly asked 'Are there many more of them coming?' – suggesting he was aware Pc Smith and Pc Comotto were police officers. During his evidence, Pc Smith also denied hitting Mr Burgess with a baton, claiming he instead flicked the baton towards the pensioner's wrist to 'knock the knife out' of his hand. Pc Smith said: 'The way he had been threatening staff members – the threat was the knife, to the staff there and also to himself. I just wanted the knife out of the gent's hand.' During her evidence, Pc Comotto said she believed using the Taser was the safest way to 'protect' Mr Burgess as she feared her colleague using the baton again would cause more harm. She added she knew from her training the risk of injury to Mr Burgess was higher with a baton than with a Taser. She said: 'It was proportionate because other tactics had failed. If I didn't act, something worse could happen. I'm not a trigger-happy officer. It's the first time I've fired my Taser.' Emily Barry, the IOPC director, said: 'Our thoughts and sympathies remain with the family of Donald Burgess. We know this case – including the police body-worn footage that was released during the trial – has caused understandable concern in the community. 'It was right that the evidence was put before a jury so the officers could be held accountable and we respect the jury's decision.' Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Police not guilty of assault on 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 home. PCs 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 Sussex. Jurors returned their unanimous verdicts on both Sussex Police officers at Southwark Crown Court on Wednesday. They found PC Smith not guilty of two counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm for his use of Pava spray and for using a baton, whilst PC Comotto was found not guilty of one count for deploying her Taser. The following video contains distressing scenes. Despite this, Sussex Police Assistant Chief Constable Paul Court said that the officers would still face gross misconduct proceedings. "Police officers can often find themselves in challenging and unpredictable situations, where they must make split-second decisions to keep the public safe and do so with measure, compassion, and skill," he said. "We support them to do this and it's what our communities expect. "Use of force must be reasonable, necessary, and proportionate, and officers know they will be held accountable for their actions every time." The 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 staff. PC Smith sprayed synthetic Pava pepper spray into Mr Burgess's face and used his baton to try to knock the knife out of his hand, with PC Comotto deploying her Taser - all within a minute and 23 seconds of entering the pensioner's room. Mr 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. The court previously heard that Mr Burgess' behaviour was "out of character" and that his movements with the knife were "extremely quick", deputy care home manager Donna Gardner said. Judge Christopher Hehir told jurors: "The reason for his behaviour that day, we now know, is that he was delirious as a result of a urinary tract infection." Prosecutors had claimed the force used against Mr Burgess, who had been reportedly waving a serrated cutlery knife around and telling staff he would "take pleasure" in murdering them, was "unjustified and unlawful" given his age and physical condition. The court heard both officers repeatedly asked Mr Burgess to drop the knife, with PC Smith warning him: "Put the knife down mate, or you will be sprayed or tasered. That's up to you." Footage from body-worn cameras played to the jury during the trial showed PC Smith then directly spraying Mr Burgess's face. The care home resident then raised the knife a couple of times as PC Smith used his baton to try to get the weapon out of his hand. When this failed, PC Comotto deployed her Taser. PC Smith previously told jurors he did not see that Mr Burgess was disabled and using a wheelchair as he was focused on the knife the pensioner was holding in his hand. During her evidence, PC Comotto said she believed using the Taser was the safest way to "protect" Mr Burgess as she feared her colleague using the baton again would cause more harm. She explained that she knew from her training the risk of injury to Mr Burgess was higher with a baton than with a Taser. The officer said: "It was proportionate because other tactics had failed. If I didn't act, something worse could happen." "I'm not a trigger-happy officer," she added. "It's the first time I've fired my Taser." The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said both officers should face a gross misconduct hearing for potential breaches of the police standards of professional behaviour, with PC Comotto facing a further misconduct allegation relating to comments she made on social media after the incident. IOPC director Emily Barry said: "We know this case – including the police body-worn footage that was released during the trial – has caused understandable concern in the community. "It was right that the evidence was put before a jury so the officers could be held accountable and we respect the jury's decision." Additional reporting by PA Media. Follow BBC Sussex on Facebook, on X, and on Instagram. Send your story ideas to southeasttoday@ or WhatsApp us on 08081 002250. Police officers 'use force first' on amputee, 92 Use of Taser on 92-year-old was viable, court told Jury deliberate over force used on amputee, 92 Sussex Police HM Courts & Tribunals Service
Metro
6 days ago
- Metro
Police officers cleared of assault after tasering man, 92, in a care home
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Two police officers who sprayed synthetic pepper spray and Tasered a 92-year-old amputee in a care home have been found not guilty of assault. PC Stephen Smith and PC Rachel Comotto were accused of assault occasioning actual bodily harm and using excessive force against Donald Burgess, a single-leg amputee. Mr Burgess grabbed a kitchen knife and threatened staff at Park Beck care home in St Leonards-on-Sea, East Sussex, saying he would 'take pleasure' in murdering them. Within 83 seconds of entering the room, PCs Smith and Comotto sprayed synthetic pepper spray in Mr Burgess's face, used a Taser on him, then used a baton to try and knock the knife out of his hand. More Trending They have now both been cleared of assault by a jury at Southwark crown court. Mr Burgess was taken to hospital after the incident in June 2022, and later contracted coronavirus. He died just over three weeks later aged 93. PC Smith said he didn't see Mr Burgess was disabled and using a wheelchair at the time, because he was focused on the knife he was holding with 'white knuckles' in an 'immense grip'. Ian Mills, a use of force adviser for the police and expert for the defence, told the court Smith's actions 'would be consistent with training based on the officer's perception of the threat at the time'. Got a story? Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ Or you can submit your videos and pictures here. For more stories like this, check our news page. Follow on Twitter and Facebook for the latest news updates. You can now also get articles sent straight to your device. Sign up for our daily push alerts here. MORE: Prison officer accused of having relationships with two inmates appears in court MORE: Jay Slater brags about £12,000 Rolex 'off some c***' in unseen clip MORE: Who is Elias Rodriguez? DC 'shooter' could face death penalty for killing Israel embassy staff
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Yahoo
Pepper-spraying disabled pensioner ‘consistent with police training'
A police officer's decision to pepper-spray a disabled pensioner was 'consistent with training', a court has been told. Pc Stephen Smith, 51, faces trial alongside Pc Rachel Comotto, a 36-year-old colleague, for allegedly using excessive force on 92-year-old Donald Burgess, during an incident at Park Beck care home in St Leonards-on-Sea, East Sussex, in June 2022. Mr Burgess was taken to hospital after the incident, during which he was sprayed with an incapacitant and tasered, and later contracted Covid. He died 22 days later, aged 93. The care home had called 999 after Mr Burgess, a single-leg amputee and wheelchair user, reportedly grabbed a knife and threatened to stab staff. Pc Smith previously told the jury at Southwark Crown Court that he tried to convince the pensioner to drop the knife and warned him he could be Tasered, before deciding to spray Pava synthetic pepper spray into his face. Ian Mills, a use of force adviser for the police and an expert for the defence, told the court on Thursday: 'That would be consistent with training based on the officer's perception of the threat at the time. His [Pc Smith's] use of force, though difficult to watch, was generally in accordance with his training. 'There is the perceived threat of the knife, they [the officers] tried ... grabbing the knife, which failed, they tried threatening with Pava, which is not getting a result. He [Pc Smith] then states his intention [to use Pava] to ensure the safety of staff and the safety of other residents at the care home.' When Mr Burgess did not drop the knife after he was sprayed, Pc Smith deployed a baton to 'try and knock the knife out of Mr Burgess's hand', the officer previously told the court. Commenting on this incident, Mr Mills agreed the officer used his baton with 'minimal force'. He continued: 'His use of the baton was also in general accordance with training based on the circumstances. These choices should be based on the information the officers have at that time and the officers' honestly held beliefs at the time of the incident, even if they are later found to be wrong. 'People are unpredictable, techniques are unreliable, so officers have to adapt to the situation. They make split-second decisions based on their perception of the circumstances whilst in fast-moving situations and without the benefit of hindsight.' Mr Mills added the two officers made a 'tactical error' in failing to 'fully explore avenues of information before entering the room', notably by talking to the care home staff about Mr Burgess. He said: 'There was an opportunity on arrival to the scene to further assess the incident – for example, the medical history and usual behaviour of the subject.' Earlier this week, jurors heard that Pc Smith allegedly emptied a full canister of synthetic Pava spray into Mr Burgess's face and struck him with a baton, with Pc Comotto deploying her Taser – all within one minute and 23 seconds of entering his room. On Thursday, Pc Smith denied this and said he used a 'short burst' of incapacitant on Mr Burgess. Mr Mills seemed to agree with this assessment, stating that the can of Pava was used for a total of two seconds, when it allows for six seconds of use at full capacity. Pc Smith denies two counts of assault, relating to his use of Pava spray and a baton, while Pc Comotto denies one count for discharging her Taser. Prosecutors say the force used against the pensioner was excessive and unnecessary given his age and physical condition. The trial continues. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
