Police used excessive force on amputee, 92, court told

Two police officers who pepper-sprayed and tasered a 92-yearold amputee while responding to a call at his care home used force first and asked questions later”, a jury was told.

- MATHILDE GRANDJEAN

PC Stephen Smith, 51, and PC Rachel Comotto, 36, are on trial at Southwark Crown Court accused of using excessive force on Donald Burgess during an incident at Park Beck care home in St Leonards-on-Sea, East Sussex, in June 2022.

The care home had called 999 after Burgess, a single-leg amputee and wheelchair user, is said to have grabbed a knife and threatened to stab staff.

Mr Smith allegedly emptied a full canister of synthetic Pava spray into Burgess’s face and struck him with a baton, while Ms Comotto deployed her Taser – all within a minute and 23 seconds of entering the wheelchair-bound pensioner’s room.

Paul Jarvis KC, prosecuting, told jurors during his closing speech that the officers had failed to gather information about the situation before entering his room and had simply sought to resolve it “as quickly as possible”.