Latest news with #disabledrights
Sky News
28-05-2025
- 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.
The Guardian
26-05-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
The Guardian view on Ed Davey's mission: build politics around care. If not, cruelty will define it
Did last week mark a sea change in British politics? For many, it did. The government's U-turn on winter fuel payments signalled a welcome retreat. But the deeper shift may lie in the terrain that ministers are now forced to fight on: cuts hitting disabled people and their families. In the Commons, Sir Ed Davey raised the case of Ginny, a carer for her husband with myotonic dystrophy. He described the human burden of responsibility, exhaustion and love. Under the government's planned cuts, he warned, her family stands to lose £12,000 a year. The prime minister replied with managerial platitudes. Sir Ed, by contrast, spoke of duty, dignity and the very real consequences of policy. The Liberal Democrat leader isn't trading in ideology; he's drawing a line based on human decency. Caring has been a constant theme of his life, even more than politics. When he was a teenager, Sir Ed spent three years looking after his mother who died of bone cancer. Later he helped care for the grandmother who brought him up. Every morning at 6am, Sir Ed wakes up his severely disabled 17-year-old son, John, then cleans his teeth, bathes him and gives him his morning massage. In his new book, Why I Care, he frames this both an act of love and a foundational political insight. The Lib Dem leader wants to rewrite British politics – not with the language of crisis, but that of care. In a Westminster hooked on 'tough choices' and resistant to compassion in policy, he offers something rare – moral clarity rooted in lived experience. He understands that care is not a luxury to be considered after the economy is 'fixed'. It is, he says, the core economy. His new book is both memoir and manifesto, containing a call to abandon parliamentary introspection and recentre politics around mutual support. Critics might call it earnest. Cynics may spy sentiment in search of power. The Tory leader, Kemi Badenoch, says Lib Dems are just 'good at fixing church roofs'. But Sir Ed leans in. His paddle‑boarding, Zumba-thrusting 2024 election campaign delivered his party's best result in a century, winning 72 seats – 60 from the Conservatives. The latest YouGov polling has his party ahead of the Tories and snapping at Labour's heels. Rooted in real life and years helping constituents through a broken system, his authority on care is hard-won. The UK has 6 million unpaid carers – 1.7 million work more than 50 hours a week. The NHS would collapse without them. Yet many carers are met not with help, but hurdles – denied adequate respite and treated as invisible. This paper's investigation into the scandal over carer's allowance payments revealed a brutal bureaucracy punishing vulnerable people. It's not just neglectful. It's insulting. Sir Ed's proposal – to assign every family in need a named carer and social worker – is modest, sensible and overdue. He's also had enough of the care reviews. Who can blame him? Since 1997, there have been 25 commissions, inquiries and white papers. Now ministers want Louise Casey to take three more years for a review into adult social care. He says it's enough to make you cry. Sir Ed's not point-scoring, just asking how family, community and state can equitably share the load. And urging the government to get on with it – as quietly and steadily as the carers it routinely ignores.
The Independent
24-05-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Children with special educational needs at risk of losing legal right to school support
Hundreds of thousands of children with special needs are at risk of losing their legal entitlement to support in schools, as the government refused to rule out scrapping key documents that families rely on to guarantee specialist support. Education, health and care plans (EHCPs) are statutory documents which outline the support needed to help children with special needs and disabilities achieve key life outcomes. But speaking to the Guardian, Catherine McKinnell, the school standards minister, declined to rule out narrowing or replacing EHCPs altogether as she confirmed officials were developing a new system for SEND support. Campaigners have warned such a move could force thousands of pupils out of mainstream education, accusing the government of an 'assault on disabled people' in the wake of sweeping welfare cuts which are expected to impact as many as 800,000 disabled people. Asked whether ministers would scrap or restrict EHCPs, Ms McKinnell said: 'No decisions have been taken yet on how we deliver …. The change we want to see is just better support for children at the earliest stage possible. And clearly the system we've inherited is not delivering that'. She added: 'Parents have a real battle to get support that should be ordinarily available in school.' Pressed on the issue, Mrs McKinnell responded: 'I think parents would agree that if we had a well-functioning system, if we had that good early support, then you wouldn't need a complex legal process to access an education. 'Even when families secure an EHCP, it doesn't necessarily deliver the education that's been identified … We're listening to parents. We're working on a new system. It's not fixed yet.' Such a change would provoke significant backlash from campaigners and parents, as without an EHCP, schools in England have no legal obligation to meet a child's specific needs. Ms McKinnell's remarks come after a report from the National Audit Office, published last year, warned that the SEND system was financially unsustainable, with the number of EHCPs having increased by 140 per cent since 2015. Earlier this month, Dame Christine Lenehan, the Department for Education's strategic adviser on SEND, admitted the government is looking at whether or not EHCP's are the 'right vehicle' for special educational support. Reacting to Ms McKinnell's remarks, Katie Ghose, chair of the Disabled Children's Partnership, told the Guardian: 'Hundreds of thousands of children rely on these plans to go to school safely and learn. This would represent a fundamental break from four decades of political consensus that disabled children need legal guarantees to access education. 'Without that, the government risks sending more children out of school and into a system where their needs are simply not met.' Tania Tirraoro, the co-director of Special Needs Jungle, warned that campaigners will not 'accept the removal of disabled children's rights without a fight', accusing Labour of an 'entire assault on disabled people of all ages'. It comes amid growing disquiet over the government's controversial decision to restrict personal independence payments for around 800,000 people, a key benefit which helps pay for the extra costs of living with a disability, as part a wider programme of welfare cuts. There is deep concern over the impact of the proposed changes from both Labour MPs and ministers with as many as 150 backbenchers gearing up to rebel over the proposals. Speaking about EHCPs, Ms Tirraoro added: 'This isn't about improving provision – it's about saving money. If EHCPs are taken away from mainstream settings, early years and 16- to 25-year-olds outside special schools will lose protection too. That will push more children into special schools, alternative provision, or out of education entirely.' A Department for Education spokesperson said: 'The evidence is clear that this government inherited a SEND system left on its knees – with too many children not having their needs met and parents forced to fight for support. 'This government is actively working with parents and experts on the solutions, including more early intervention to prevent needs from escalating and £740 million to encourage councils to create more specialist places in mainstream schools. 'Any changes we make will improve support for children and parents, stop parents from having to fight for support, and protect provision currently in place. As part of our Plan for Change, we will restore the confidence of families up and down the country and deliver the improvement they are crying out for so every child can achieve and thrive.'
Daily Mail
23-05-2025
- Daily Mail
'Evil' teen bullies get taste of vigilante 'justice' after they were filmed beating disabled woman
A group of teen bullies got a taste of vigilante justice after they were filmed beating up a young disabled woman in Hawaii. Four teenagers - aged 13, 14, 16 and 18 - were arrested after horrific footage showed them surrounding and assaulting the confused woman, 21, who tried to shield herself as she was kicked and punched in the head. The victim, named only as Carly, remained crouched on the ground and did not fight back as the attackers take turns assaulting her. The brutal April attack was posted online earlier this month and sparked widespread anger from the Wahiawa community, who took matters into their own hands and hunted down the suspects. The community members livestreamed themselves as they went looking for the bullies at their homes, with as many as 11,000 people watching at one point, as reported by Hawaii News Now. Footage shows dozens of students and parents heading to the suspects' residences, with someone climbing up a building's exterior at one point. The vigilantes knocked on their doors and demanded the bullies came out and meet with them. The eldest bully in the group, 18-year-old Jasmine Keola, spoke to KHON2 as she was released from jail on Thursday after chargers against her were dropped. 'It was incidents on the bus that happened and it just got way out of hand. So I took it upon myself, I got pressured actually to fighting the girl,' Keola claimed. 'I didn't want to fight her. but I did anyway. So I talked to her, but again I'm sorry for what I did, I didn't mean to do it.' Keola's excuse was met with derision by locals who say she's shown little remorse and now seems keen to try and play the victim. The other teen bullies were also released from jail. The case against them has been dismissed - but investigators say this is only because they need to gather further evidence with a mind to press stronger charges in the near-future. The mother of two of the teens involved also apologized, saying: 'I just wanted to apologize to the family of the girl that got hurt in that video. 'And I didn't mean for it to go this far. But I apologize for my children's actions and I hope that you guys can forgive my kids.' The bullies attend Leilehua High School and Wahiawa Middle School. The school district said they are cooperating with authorities. The victim's family told local media they were also shocked to see the video, as the young woman never told them about the assault. They issued a statement thanking the public for their support and also asking people to refrain from seeking revenge. 'The family would like to sincerely thank friends, family and the public for the outpouring of love, support, and concern during this incredibly difficult time. Your kind words and compassion have meant more to them than they can expressed in words,' their statement read. 'At this moment, the family respectfully ask for their privacy as they try to process what has happened and figure out their next steps. They are still coming to terms with everything, and need time and space to do so. In the meantime, we ask not to contact the family. 'The family also kindly asks that no one retaliate or act out against any of the other parties involved.'
Daily Mail
21-05-2025
- Daily Mail
Police officer who Tasered 92-year-old disabled man tells court she treated him with 'utmost respect'
A police officer who Tasered a disabled 92-year-old care home resident claimed she treated him with the 'utmost respect', a court has heard. Jurors were shown body-worn video footage of officers in the moments after Donald Burgess, a single-leg amputee and wheelchair user, was restrained at Park Beck care home in St Leonards-on-Sea, East Sussex. PC Stephen Smith, 51, and PC Rachel Comotto, 36, are on trial at Southwark Crown Court accused of assault occasioning actual bodily harm after allegedly using excessive force on Mr Burgess in June 2022. Smith is charged with two counts of assault, relating to his use of Pava spray and a baton, while Comotto faces one count for discharging her Taser. Earlier this week, jurors heard how Smith allegedly emptied a full canister of the incapacitant into Mr Burgess's face, struck him with a baton, and how Comotto deployed her Taser - all within 83 seconds of entering his room. On Wednesday, the jury was shown fresh body-worn camera footage from the aftermath of the incident. Comotto asks Smith: 'Oh my God, is there any left in your can?' Smith replies: 'Probably not.' At one point, Mr Burgess, visibly distressed, told the officers: 'I'm dying.' He is then handcuffed in his wheelchair and taken outside. Later, another officer outside the care home asks if Smith had used a 'Smithy special'. Smith responded by describing the incident as a 'stand-off'. 'Even after spraying he clutched on to it (the knife) to the point where I was going to knock it out of his hands,' he said. 'Just a stand-off with him - gave him all the options.' Speaking to care home manager Steve Cooper shortly after the incident, Comotto says: 'We don't like doing that at all, but what can you do?' Prosecutors say the force used against Mr Burgess - who had been threatening staff with a serrated cutlery knife and telling them he would take pleasure in murdering them - was excessive and unnecessary given his age and physical condition. Mr Burgess had also poked a staff member in the stomach with the knife. He was seated in his wheelchair and surrounded by staff when officers entered his room and began issuing commands, jurors have heard. The footage also showed officers coughing heavily after the spray was deployed. In Comotto's body-worn footage she says: 'I just hate Pava. It's just horrible, isn't it?' Comotto then claimed she had treated Mr Burgess with the 'utmost respect'. In a statement given during a police interview and read to the court by prosecutor Paul Jarvis KC, the officer said: 'Our objective was clear - it was to disarm Mr Burgess as quickly and safely as possible. 'I do not believe that my use of the Taser was disproportionate. I believe he posed an immediate and significant risk to himself.' Comotto said she only learned of Mr Burgess's age after the incident and was 'very shocked', saying she thought he was much younger. 'I treated Mr Burgess with respect and courtesy before and after the force was used,' she added. Jurors at Southwark Crown Court heard a list of facts agreed between the prosecution and defence relating to the incident - including post-interview statements written by both officers. In her statement Comotto said joining the force in October 2014 was the 'realisation of a life-long dream come true.' She wrote about receiving awards, commendations and national recognition during her tenure working for the Sussex police. Comotto denied failing to treat Mr Burgess with tolerance, respect and courtesy. 'When he asked how many more knives there were, he demonstrated a clear, real-time awareness of the situation,' she stated. 'This made his continual refusal to drop the knife all the more concerning for me.' She added: 'I treated Mr Burgess with the utmost respect, even though he tried to stab PC Smith earlier that did not negatively affect my treatment of Mr Burgess.' Comotto also said: 'I do not believe in conscience that my use of the taser was disproportionate, excessive or unreasonable - that is my honestly held belief. 'He had a knife in his right hand in a particularly strong grip which ultimately took the combined efforts of two police officers to remove from his grip. 'The blade was serrated [and] several inches long.' She said Mr Burgess refused to 'relinquish the position of the knife' which meant 'using tactical options to disarm him from a distance.' 'He indicated he would use the knife violently against anyone who stepped into his fighting arc.' PC Comotto said it was the first time she had discharged her taser in four and a half years, despite being specially trained to use it. 'It is my honestly held belief if Mr Burgess was not disarmed expediently he would have used the knife to harm himself significantly, causing life-threatening or life-changing injuries - a possibility we could not countenance for', her statement said. Jurors then heard PC Smith's written statement in which he claimed he was 'not aware that Mr Burgess was disabled, was a single amputee and in a wheelchair.' He said in the statement: 'I was not aware of these vulnerabilities at the time when I first encountered him, therefore they did not impact my thought process when considering the most appropriate action. 'At that time I was totally focused on the knife in his right hand.' Afterwards, Mr Burgess was taken to hospital where he was diagnosed with a 'catheter associated urinary tract infection and delirium' following the incident. He contracted Covid-19 and died 22 days later. A post-mortem examination revealed an area of 'deep' bruising over the 'top of the wright wrist joint' but 'no fracture to the bone'. The forensic pathologist observed that 'an 'injury was noted internally to the right wrist which would be in keeping with a strike from the baton.' The St Leonard's-on-Sea care home specialises in caring for people with dementia, though Mr Burgess was never diagnosed with the disease. The trial continues.
