Latest news with #police misconduct
BBC News
2 hours ago
- General
- BBC News
Video by Dorset Police shows dismissed officer arresting teen
Video footage showing the arrest of a 15-year-old boy, which led to the dismissal of a police officer has been released by Dorset independent panel found PC Lorne Castle's actions amounted to gross misconduct, and he was dismissed without panel found Castle did not treat the teenager with courtesy or respect, and that his shouting, swearing, finger pointing, taking hold of the boy's face and throat, and suggesting the use of leg restraints were not necessary, proportionate or panel found the force used to take him to the ground was necessary, reasonable and proportionate. In the footage, the boy is audibly distressed, and keeps asking why he is being Police said a knife was found on the boy afterwards, but beforehand there had been no suggestion he was armed or that a knife had been force said no further action was taken against the teenager, but he was issued with an out of court disposal for possessing the Chief Constable Rachel Farrell said the force was sharing the footage to be transparent and address misinformation. In reaction to the release of the video the Dorset Police Federation said the force had not provided "context or balance" and "entices the public into making judgements without having the benefit of all the facts".It said that the footage failed to show a "double-bladed knife" which fell from the clothing of the added that the officer was warned to be "extra cautious" ahead of the arrest, due to a mass brawl in the town centre just two nights before, which involved youths with "machetes and knives"."The reason for the release appears primarily to be an attempt by Dorset Police to manage some of the public criticism the force has received following the decision to dismiss the officer, rather than a genuine desire to properly inform the public," the Federation Castle has previously apologised and admitted his behaviour was "rude", but said he "panicked in the moment". You can follow BBC Dorset on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
The Sun
a day ago
- General
- The Sun
Moment cop tells boy, 15, ‘stop screaming like a b****' while pinning him down in arrest – as he's sacked from force
COPS last night released a video showing a sacked police officer tackling a teenage suspect and screaming in his face. The shocking footage was made public after a campaign was launched to reverse the decision to dismiss Pc Lorne Castle for the 'aggressive' and 'intimidating' arrest. 7 7 Bravery award winning bobby Pc Castle was responding to reports the teenager had been involved in two assaults in Bournemouth when he arrested him in January last year. But his actions were deemed to have made the boy feel 'frightened and intimidated' and he had failed to act with self-control and was found guilty of gross misconduct. Dorset Police yesterday released the full body worn footage of the assault 'given the high level of public interest in the outcome of the misconduct hearing locally and to challenge misinformation'. It warned the 'video contains content that some viewers may find distressing'. The 1min58s footage shows Castle grab the teen as he walks along the street and pin him to the floor. Pc Castle shouts: 'Show me your f****** hands', as the boy screams: 'What have I done?' Castle then jabs a finger at him and shouts: 'Stop screaming like a little b****,' and tells him to 'Shut up,' as the boy pleads: 'I've done nothing.' Castle calls for back up and then says to the boy: 'Stop resisting or I'm going to smash you.' In the video Castle can be seen holding the teen's face to the ground while he kneels astride him. A Stanley-style knife was later found on the lad but Castle did not know he was carrying a knife when he arrested him. The video emerged as a crowdfunding campaign, launched by ex-Met and Dorset chief inspector Chris Amey, had reached over £22,000 to help pay for Castle's wages. Other former officers had called on the Home Secretary to step in, while a petition asking for him to be reinstated had been signed by 2,000 people. Married father of three PC Castle, who also runs a boxing academy with wife Denise, had thanked people for the 'unbelievable amount of public support'. He had twice won a bravery award, including rescuing a woman from a river, and won community officer of the year award in 2021. 7 7 7 Dorset Police deputy chief constable Rachel Farrell said: 'I understand the strength of feeling in this case and it is right to be open and transparent about what the independent panel saw, alongside other evidence and testimony. 'We are sharing Body Worn Video to address concerns about misinformation and to reassure the public that, while tackling crime in Dorset, our officers will continue to be proactive and robust – but by using their powers proportionately and with respect. 'Tackling violence, knife crime and antisocial behaviour are absolutely our priorities. 'At times our officers are required to use force to affect the arrest of suspects, prevent offences and protect the public, their colleagues and themselves. 'I have the utmost respect for the vast majority of officers, who have to use force when making an arrest and do so appropriately and with professionalism, even when they are exposed to risk and violence. They do a tough job and when their actions are proportionate, necessary and reasonable they will always be supported. 'We recognise the risks they place themselves in every day and, as an organisation, we ensure they receive the necessary training so they can correctly and safely arrest suspects, while understanding the importance of treating the public with dignity and respect. 'I would like to remind people that the independent panel gave anonymity to the 15-year-old boy and I urge people not to speculate without fact.' 'CONTEXT IS EVERYTHING' AN EX-CHIEF inspector today claimed the release of the video was "dirty tricks Chris Amey, who served in the police for 30 years and worked with PC Castle, said while the language was "a bit strong", the way the arrest was carried out was "no different or worse than what happens thousands of times a day." He said: "I think Dorset Police releasing this video shows their desperation. "It is a real dirty tricks move and an attempt to discredit him. "I've watched the video and in my mind I think it is something you would see on a typical Friday or Saturday night up and down the country. "I'm looking at an officer who is trying to restrain a violent offender who has just assaulted two members of the public with a crowd of people surrounding him. "I can assure the public that this probably happens in thousands of incidents up and down the country every single day. "It was a lawful arrest and he used reasonable force. "The language is a bit strong but we have to sometimes use language to get compliance." He said the police should have released the entire video and not just a two minute clip. He said: "Context is everything. If you are going to show the video you should show the whole incident. "Are they going to release footage of the prior assaults or the moment the knife falls out of the boy's pocket while Lorne is making the arrest? "I believe Lorne should be commended for taking a knife off the street which is the aim of Dorset Police's latest campaign." 7
Daily Mail
a day ago
- General
- Daily Mail
Disgraced police worker who leaked confidential information to her drug-dealing boyfriend is jailed for almost three years
A police administrator has been jailed for almost three years after leaking confidential information to her drug dealer boyfriend. Lucy Langmead, 44, started a relationship with 37-year-old Daniel Cozens in 2020 while working for South Wales Police, and began providing him with police intelligence. Langmead, who is pregnant with her fourth child, accessed the police computer system numerous times to obtain information on Cozens, his family and friends, and also to satisfy her own 'morbid curiosity' about cases in the news. At Cardiff Crown Court, Judge Tracey Lloyd-Clarke handed Langmead and Cozens sentences of two years and 11 months and one year and eight months respectively. A police investigation was launched after a community support officer was approached while on foot patrol in Pontypridd in 2021 by a woman who Langmead had informed of an investigation into her boyfriend. The court heard the woman told the officer she thought they were looking into him because 'I have a friend who works in the courts, and she told me he was being watched'. The woman and her boyfriend later approached another officer, questioned the number of police patrols, and mentioned information that could only have been obtained from the police systems. Langmead, from Tonteg, Pontypridd, and Cozens, from Treforest, pleaded guilty to a series of offences, including conspiracy to commit misconduct in public office between May 23, 2021, and February 25, 2022. The judge said that throughout training and every time the system is accessed, users are warned about misuse, with every access logged. Addressing Langmead, the judge said: 'From the outset you knew you were committing criminal offences and appeared to do so partly from idle curiosity and partly to elevate your status - in other words you were showing off - including to offenders. 'This was a very serious breach of trust that is placed in police employees. 'You have, by your actions, done serious harm to policing and the public interest.' She said Cozens's offending was 'significantly less serious' because he did not work for the police. The judge said there had been 'no financial reward' for either of them, but it had put them in 'good standing' among offenders they were assisting, with one disposing of drugs he was dealing after a tip-off. Langmead had also accessed records to satisfy her curiosity, including the case of Logan Mwangi, a five-year-old whose body was discovered in a river near his home in Sarn. 'Logan Mwangi was a five-year-old child who had been murdered and whose body had, at that time, recently been found in a river,' Judge Lloyd-Clarke said. 'There was a lot of publicity around his death, and you could only have been continuing to access the file to satisfy your own morbid curiosity.' Langmead pleaded guilty to 13 offences of securing unauthorised access to computer material and five offences of unlawful disclosure of personal data. Cozens pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supply of a controlled drug of class C (Benzodiazepines), being concerned in the supply of a controlled drug of class C (Pregablins) and possession of a controlled drug of class B (cannabis). Both will serve up to half their sentences in prison, with the rest on licence. Langmead resigned from South Wales Police in May 2022. Chief Superintendent Bella Rees, head of professional standards at South Wales Police, said: 'Police officers and staff have access to personal and private information and it is both a public expectation and a legal requirement that information should be treated in the strictest confidence, properly protected and used for legitimate policing purposes only. 'Accessing confidential police information without a legitimate policing purpose is an abuse of position and, as this case demonstrates, will be treated robustly.' John Griffiths of the Crown Prosecution Service said: 'Lucy Langmead had the complete trust of her employer in having access to sensitive information and she betrayed that trust. 'Her actions could have placed criminal investigations at risk. 'Daniel Cozens used his relationship with Langmead to try to gain an advantage over the police in his criminal behaviour. 'However, the audit trail from the police computer systems led investigators to them, and together with other evidence allowed the Crown Prosecution Service to present a strong case to the court and ensure these defendants were brought to justice.'
The Independent
a day ago
- General
- The Independent
Police administrator jailed for leaking information to drug dealer boyfriend
A police administrator has been jailed for almost three years after leaking confidential information to her drug dealer boyfriend. Lucy Langmead, 44, started a relationship with 37-year-old Daniel Cozens in 2020 while working for South Wales Police, and began providing him with police intelligence. Langmead, who is pregnant with her fourth child, accessed the police computer system numerous times to obtain information on Cozens, his family and friends, and also to satisfy her own 'morbid curiosity' about cases in the news. At Cardiff Crown Court on Tuesday, Judge Tracey Lloyd-Clarke, the Recorder of Cardiff, handed Langmead and Cozens sentences of two years and 11 months and one year and eight months respectively. A police investigation was launched after a community support officer was approached while on foot patrol in Pontypridd in 2021 by a woman who Langmead had informed of an investigation into her boyfriend. The court heard the woman told the officer she thought they were looking into him because 'I have a friend who works in the courts, and she told me he was being watched'. The woman and her boyfriend later approached another officer, questioned the number of police patrols, and mentioned information that could only have been obtained from the police systems. Langmead, from Tonteg, Pontypridd, and Cozens, from Treforest, pleaded guilty to a series of offences, including conspiracy to commit misconduct in public office between May 23 2021 and February 25 2022. The judge said that throughout training and every time the system is accessed, users are warned about misuse, with every access logged. Addressing Langmead, the judge said: 'From the outset you knew you were committing criminal offences and appeared to do so partly from idle curiosity and partly to elevate your status – in other words you were showing off – including to offenders. 'This was a very serious breach of trust that is placed in police employees. 'You have, by your actions, done serious harm to policing and the public interest.' She said Cozens's offending was 'significantly less serious' because he did not work for the police. The judge said there had been 'no financial reward' for either of them, but it had put them in 'good standing' among offenders they were assisting, with one disposing of drugs he was dealing after a tip-off. Langmead had also accessed records to satisfy her curiosity, including the case of Logan Mwangi, a five-year-old whose body was discovered in a river near his home in Sarn. 'Logan Mwangi was a five-year-old child who had been murdered and whose body had, at that time, recently been found in a river,' Judge Lloyd-Clarke said. 'There was a lot of publicity around his death, and you could only have been continuing to access the file to satisfy your own morbid curiosity.' Langmead pleaded guilty to 13 offences of securing unauthorised access to computer material and five offences of unlawful disclosure of personal data. Cozens pleaded guilty to being concerned in the supply of a controlled drug of class C (Benzodiazepines), being concerned in the supply of a controlled drug of class C (Pregablins) and possession of a controlled drug of class B (cannabis). Both will serve up to half their sentences in prison, with the rest on licence. Langmead resigned from South Wales Police in May 2022. Chief Superintendent Bella Rees, head of professional standards at South Wales Police, said: ' Police officers and staff have access to personal and private information and it is both a public expectation and a legal requirement that information should be treated in the strictest confidence, properly protected and used for legitimate policing purposes only. 'Accessing confidential police information without a legitimate policing purpose is an abuse of position and, as this case demonstrates, will be treated robustly.' John Griffiths of the Crown Prosecution Service said: 'Lucy Langmead had the complete trust of her employer in having access to sensitive information and she betrayed that trust. 'Her actions could have placed criminal investigations at risk. 'Daniel Cozens used his relationship with Langmead to try to gain an advantage over the police in his criminal behaviour. 'However, the audit trail from the police computer systems led investigators to them, and together with other evidence allowed the Crown Prosecution Service to present a strong case to the court and ensure these defendants were brought to justice.'
Telegraph
5 days ago
- General
- Telegraph
Sacked Dorset policeman ‘thrown under a bus' after arrest of teenager
A highly-experienced and decorated police officer has been dismissed for gross misconduct for a momentary loss of self-control during the arrest of a knife-carrying 15-year-old. Lorne Castle was found to have behaved aggressively and used unreasonable force during the incident in January 2024, after a three-day disciplinary hearing at Dorset Police HQ. During the incident, Castle allegedly told the youth, who was found to be in possession of a knife, to 'stop screaming like a b---h' and threatened to 'smash him' before putting his hands around the boy's neck. At the time of the arrest, the youth was wanted in connection with an assault on an elderly member of the public on Bournemouth seafront and for being part of a gang attack at a McDonald's restaurant. As three officers struggled to restrain him and handcuff him, a three-inch knife fell out of his pocket. One end was a lock knife and the other a Stanley knife. The teenager claimed it was for use at his work. A large gang fight had occurred in the area a few days before the incident. Two potential suspects from the fight were still at large on the morning when Castle went out on patrol with Pc Susannah Justice, and the shift had again been given a warning about the possible dangers from the outstanding offenders. Castle, a former martial arts instructor whose wife Denise is a world champion Muay Thai kickboxer, was encouraged to join the force after his effective work as a community safety patrol officer working in the Boscombe area. In a decade as a Pc, he has twice been commended for saving the lives of members of the public. In one incident in 2023, he put his own safety at risk to rescue a woman from being swept away in a flooded river. In 2021, Castle was made Dorset Police's officer of the year for his 'outstanding service' and for undertaking every shift 'with the personal commitment to make a difference and do the right thing'. On Thursday evening, he was found guilty of the more serious gross breaches of professional conduct after a ruling from a three-person disciplinary panel chaired by Deborah Smith, another assistant chief constable. Castle, a 46-year-old father of three, admitted his conduct had amounted to misconduct and tearfully apologised during his evidence. 'Bloody madness' Norman Brennan, a retired police officer and founder of the police wellbeing campaign group Protect the Protectors, accused Dorset Police of throwing PC Castle 'under a bus'. He said: 'Senior officers at Dorset Police have taken leave of their senses. This decision epitomises how they have lost touch with the danger and reality of frontline policing. 'It is bloody madness.' He added: 'I'm sick and tired of officers being disciplined for things like this, and I think the majority of the public would think this is absolutely bonkers. 'Many senior officers kowtow to the constant criticism of the police in a sort of appeasement and often throw officers under the bus or to the wolves as sacrificial lambs. 'Cases like this are more likely to deter people from joining the police.' 'Excessive, aggressive and inappropriate' Despite the ruling, the panel concluded he genuinely believed the 15-year-old, who was hooded and covering his face when Castle spotted him walking along a city centre pavement with two associates, was a potential escapee and high risk. As the situation unfolded, the panel also accepted he genuinely thought the boy was resisting arrest and trying to break free and that these beliefs were those of any reasonable officer. Taking the suspect to the ground and putting him in a headlock were also acknowledged to be 'necessary, reasonable and proportionate' in the circumstances. But body worn footage recorded him shouting and swearing at the teenager saying 'show me your f---ing hands' and to 'stop being a little b---h' as the suspect repeatedly shouted and screamed in a high-pitched voice. And the panel felt the level of force used, including putting the suspect in leg restraints, was not justified, despite acknowledging these actions were born out of a genuine fear for the officer's own safety. Ms Smith said Castle failed to act with self-control and did not treat the teenager with courtesy or respect. No further action was taken against him as a result of the two assaults because no complaints were made, and his arrest for suspicions of possession of a knife was dealt with using an out of court disposal. After the hearing, Ms Smith, in a prepared statement, said she had the 'utmost respect for the vast majority of officers who have to use force when making an arrest and do so appropriately and with professionalism, even when they are exposed to risk and violence' She said officers do a 'tough job' and where their actions are proportionate, 'they will always be supported'. She added: 'We recognise the risks they place themselves in every day and we ensure they receive the necessary training so they can correctly and safely arrest suspects while understanding the importance of treating the public with dignity and respect. 'I have never been in any doubt that Pc Castle's actions were excessive, aggressive and inappropriate, and I can understand the communities we serve will be concerned about this case.'
