Police Apology Over Handling Of Dementia Sufferer

Officers point taser at vulnerable man and spray him with CS gas

- Carl Eve

Police have admitted lessons can be learned after an incident at the Duke of Cornwall Hotel saw a former Commando who now suffers dementia, CS sprayed and Taser red-dotted.

A Tweet by an officer who attended the incident noted how police had been called there by hotel staff on Sunday October 10, following reports the man was in possession of a knife. Staff said they felt threatened and officers say they were confronted by a man who became aggressive.

He was ‘red-dotted’ – where the Taser’s red light is projected onto someone as a final warning before the Taser is actually fired. The man did not comply and the arrival of more officers resulted in a melee as they attempted to secure him.

During this process, the man was CS sprayed to incapacitate him, and during the course of him being wrestled to the ground he pulled a large clump of hair from a female PC’s scalp and also tried to bite her face.

Police said the man was eventually handcuffed and detained before being taken to Charles Cross police station.

It has since transpired the man was a 64-year-old former Commando, who suffers from dementia after being diagnosed in his late 50s.

His daughter, Kerry, is upse the police and the media did not portray a full – or fair – picture of the incident