The horrifying moment police unleashed pepper spray and taser on a 92-year-old amputee

Content warning: This article contains descriptions of police use of force, including pepper spray and taser, involving an elderly vulnerable person. It may be distressing to some readers.

A routine call to a care home took a devastating turn, sparking a serious legal case that has captured public attention.

What unfolded inside a room at a residential facility raised difficult questions about the use of force on vulnerable individuals.

The details of the incident and its aftermath are now under intense scrutiny in court.


Two police officers faced allegations of assault after using pepper spray and a taser on a 92-year-old amputee at a residential care home, an incident that preceded his death three weeks later.

The case centred on PC Stephen Smith and PC Rachel Comotto, who were called to Park Beck Residential Care Home in St Leonards-on-Sea, East Sussex, following reports that Donald Burgess had poked a staff member in the stomach with a butter knife.

Bodycam footage presented in Southwark Crown Court showed Mr Burgess seated in a wheelchair, still holding the serrated knife when the officers arrived.


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Police confront elderly amputee at care home. Image source: Independent Office for Police Conduct


PC Smith told him: ‘Put it down mate. Come on, Donald, don’t be silly.’

He added: ‘We can solve it without having to resort to this…Do as you’re told.’

Despite these warnings, Smith discharged almost all of his pepper spray canister directly into Mr Burgess’s face.

The footage also captured Smith approaching with his baton raised before striking the elderly man.

Following this, Comotto deployed her taser as Mr Burgess cried out in pain, after which the officers removed the knife.

The prosecution described the force used by the officers as ‘unjustified and unlawful’, emphasising that Mr Burgess was wheelchair-bound and physically vulnerable.


Prosecutor Paul Jarvis KC pointed out that only one minute and 23 seconds had passed from the officers’ arrival to the moment Mr Burgess was tasered.

He said: ‘It ought to have been obvious by the fact he had one leg that this was a man who wasn’t going to be mobile.’

He added: ‘This was an elderly, vulnerable man who may not have understood what was going on.’

The court heard that instead of empathy, the officers displayed ‘irritation and annoyance’ towards Mr Burgess.

Mr Burgess suffered from several health conditions, including diabetes and carotid artery disease.

He was taken to hospital after the incident and died 22 days later, having contracted Covid during his stay.


The events leading up to the police call began when Mr Burgess was seen flicking food at a staff member and poking her with a knife.

Care home managers had tried to calm him for around 30 minutes before deciding to call emergency services.

The call was treated as a grade one emergency, the highest priority.

However, upon arrival, the officers neither communicated with the care staff nor explained their presence to Mr Burgess.

Instead, Smith issued a stark ultimatum: ‘Do you want to put the knife down or you will be sprayed or tasered. Those are the options.’

Jurors were informed the care home specialised in dementia care and that Mr Burgess had been diagnosed with the condition.


Mr Jarvis stressed that the defendants were not responsible for Mr Burgess’s death, stating: ‘He was an elderly gentleman who was unwell.’

Nevertheless, he maintained: ‘The force used was unnecessary and excessive in the circumstances.’

‘The defendants assaulted Mr Burgess, causing actual bodily harm.’

Smith, 51, denied two counts of assault involving the use of Pava spray and a baton.

Comotto pleaded not guilty to one charge of assault by discharging her taser.

The trial is ongoing.


Watch the full report below.


Source: Youtube/The Sun​


Key Takeaways
  • Two officers are accused of assault after using pepper spray and a taser on a 92-year-old amputee at a care home.
  • Bodycam footage showed the elderly man, who was wheelchair-bound, being sprayed and tasered after holding a butter knife.
  • The officers allegedly used excessive force despite the man’s vulnerability and dementia diagnosis.
  • The man died 22 days later in hospital, but police are not held responsible for his death.

What are your thoughts on the use of force when dealing with vulnerable people in care settings? Share your views in the comments below.
 

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A serrated "butter" knife? More like a steak knife. There are better ways to "deal" with people with dementia than this. I thought it said that this "care" home specialised in dementia care?! I was a nurse in a nursing home, I was qualified in dementia care, and I believe that a "decent" nurse could have gotten the knife off him - with no one being injured. Why did a dementia patient have a serrated knife anyway? This could have been easily avoided.
 
Personally I don’t believe that the police should attend incidents in nursing homes. Just because a person is elderly does not mean they are meek and mild. The incident that happened here in NSW where the elderly lady came at the policeman with a knife, he tasered her, she fell hit her head and she passed away. I don’t think that policeman should have been charged, as sad as the whole situation was. It’s quite obviously that the elderly lady was dangerous, she was wielding a knife, if the staff were scared why shouldn’t the police be scared of her, he acted accordingly after all at the end of the shift the men and women in the police force want to go home to their families, not the Morgue. They put their lives on the line everyday, and we the public should respect and thank them, not punish them when they act in defence of themselves and others.
 
A serrated "butter" knife? More like a steak knife. There are better ways to "deal" with people with dementia than this. I thought it said that this "care" home specialised in dementia care?! I was a nurse in a nursing home, I was qualified in dementia care, and I believe that a "decent" nurse could have gotten the knife off him - with no one being injured. Why did a dementia patient have a serrated knife anyway? This could have been easily avoided.
I totally agree , my exact thoughts when I made my comments.
 
They give these people tools to carry out their duties safely and with less fuss, then when they use them the officers are charged with assault. Isn't poking someone with a serrated knife an assault as well. Silly old bugger should have been belted senseless with the baton and the officers not charged at all. The same goes for that officer in NSW recently, he should never have been charged - he used a tool that was given to him to carry out his duties by the same institution that charged him. Go figure.
 
Over the top over kill. The elderly man had health conditions but l think this would have killed him not the covid. For heavens sake the poor man had one leg he had dementia. It was a butter knife. What were these police officers thinking? Oh here we go lets get this over with as quick as possible.
Why couldn't they have spent as much time as needed and talked gently to the man. As if the poor soul understood their demands. Obviously something had upset him to pick up the knife and flick the food and have a go at the staff member in the first place.
Why couldn't the man police officer just grab the man's wrist and take the knife away????
I just can't get my head around why the police have to use such force on elderly vulnerable scared people. Like what happened here in Australia to the poor darling who was tasered after the police officer said oh bugger it. Then bang. The poor darling passed away.
I just can't understand the why????
Kind regards to all Vicki
 
How is it possible that people agree that using force and fear with the elderly is justified? They keep telling us how well-trained the police are but they're unable to take knives off cripples? It's utterly ridiculous that any of this happened when all they had to do is throw a blanket on the arm holding the "deadly" knife.

It's difficult not to hope that these 2 bullies get dementia themselves and are considered a threat by cops who give them a taste of their own medicine.
 
The police are above the law. We had a similar death here in Australia where the male cop tasered an elderly lady and she passed away after falling backwards and striking her head. He got off Scott free. These two cops emptied a full can of pepper spray and tasered this elderly gentleman and in both cases these people were incapacitated by their age and health conditions. It’s about time the police were held accountable for their treatment of the elderly in nursing homes and not hide behind their badge.
 
They give these people tools to carry out their duties safely and with less fuss, then when they use them the officers are charged with assault.

Cops are also supposed to have brains which are able to distinguish threats from annoying situations. Be careful you don't end up in a situation in which the cops think you're too much trouble and give you the same treatment.
 
This is an absolute disgrace, in a chair, an amputee, 92 years old with a Butter Knife and he was treated like this, how can the police plead not guilty to using pepper spray and a taser when it’s shown they did, plus a baton, should be jailed for GBH and contributing to the man’s death.. these aren’t police, they are thugs 🤬
 
I’m sick to my stomach after reading this story.
The poor old man did not understand the situation he was in & the 2 FAIRY Police Officers took full advantage of of the situation.

One of them could have easily taken the knife away from the poor old man & end the so-called-violent situation.

Was the elderly man going to run rampant & stab all the other people?

Just makes you wonder what training these so-called police bullies go through to become officers of the law🤬🤬🤬🤬
 
I was witness to an incident when a female disability client stabbed a fellow female client in the eye with a REAL butter knife, resulting in blindness.

As I was the sole carer on shift, I controlled the incident WITHOUT police intervention, subdued the aggressor in a passive way and called an ambulance. The internal enquiry deemed that I had acted in a reasonable and professional manner.

Some months previous, the same female tried to stab me with a ballpoint pen.

But gutless coppers, armed to the teeth with all sorts of gadgets of death and disfigurement, choose the gung-ho attitude. I can cite numerous occasions where these cowboys with a badge have used way greater then "reasonable force" to subdue a mental health, aged care or a disability person.
 
They give these people tools to carry out their duties safely and with less fuss, then when they use them the officers are charged with assault. Isn't poking someone with a serrated knife an assault as well. Silly old bugger should have been belted senseless with the baton and the officers not charged at all. The same goes for that officer in NSW recently, he should never have been charged - he used a tool that was given to him to carry out his duties by the same institution that charged him. Go figure.
Quote: "silly old bugger should have been belted senseless with the baton" Are you serious????? Well I hope some day when you get dementia, you are 'belted senseless' with a baton!!!!! :mad:
 
They give these people tools to carry out their duties safely and with less fuss, then when they use them the officers are charged with assault. Isn't poking someone with a serrated knife an assault as well. Silly old bugger should have been belted senseless with the baton and the officers not charged at all. The same goes for that officer in NSW recently, he should never have been charged - he used a tool that was given to him to carry out his duties by the same institution that charged him. Go figure.
Come visit me and I will show you a belting until you are senseless.

Without the baton....

Damn copper apologist!
 
Personally I don’t believe that the police should attend incidents in nursing homes. Just because a person is elderly does not mean they are meek and mild. The incident that happened here in NSW where the elderly lady came at the policeman with a knife, he tasered her, she fell hit her head and she passed away. I don’t think that policeman should have been charged, as sad as the whole situation was. It’s quite obviously that the elderly lady was dangerous, she was wielding a knife, if the staff were scared why shouldn’t the police be scared of her, he acted accordingly after all at the end of the shift the men and women in the police force want to go home to their families, not the Morgue. They put their lives on the line everyday, and we the public should respect and thank them, not punish them when they act in defence of themselves and others.
I think you need to find that story and read it again...she was carrying the knife in her hand...she wouldn't give it to staff... staff didn't find out why she had it nor why she wouldn't hand it over...the copper was just like these two - over zealous...wanted it over in an instant...didn't know how to deal with the situation and she died as a result!
 
They give these people tools to carry out their duties safely and with less fuss, then when they use them the officers are charged with assault. Isn't poking someone with a serrated knife an assault as well. Silly old bugger should have been belted senseless with the baton and the officers not charged at all. The same goes for that officer in NSW recently, he should never have been charged - he used a tool that was given to him to carry out his duties by the same institution that charged him. Go figure.
Rubbish...they are just gutless, brain dead bastards unfit to wear the uniform
 

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