In a shocking turn of events, a 92-year-old care home resident found himself at the receiving end of excessive force from police officers, a jury was told. Donald Burgess, a resident in St Leonards-on-Sea, East Sussex, was reportedly sprayed in the face with synthetic pepper spray, Tasered, and hit with a baton by the officers. The incident unfolded when officers confronted Burgess after he refused to drop a cutlery item resembling a butter knife.
PC Stephen Smith allegedly discharged almost an entire can of pepper spray into Burgess’s face, followed by him being Tasered by PC Rachel Comotto, as indicated by police body-worn camera footage presented to jurors. The prosecution emphasized that the officers’ handling of the situation was inappropriate and unlawful. The prosecution further argued that the officers failed to de-escalate the situation and resorted to unnecessary force against an elderly, vulnerable man.
According to the prosecutor, Burgess was suffering from a urinary tract infection on the day of the incident, a condition known to cause confusion and agitation. Despite efforts by the care home staff to get him to surrender the knife, the situation escalated when the officers intervened. A significant amount of time was spent trying to convince Burgess to comply, but the officers took matters into their own hands swiftly, resulting in the use of force that led to unnecessary harm.
The distressing turn of events saw Burgess being hospitalized after the incident and subsequently contracting Covid, which tragically led to his demise 22 days later. While the officers are not held accountable for his death, the prosecution emphasized the excessive and unnecessary force used against Burgess, causing harm to the elderly man. The trial has been adjourned for further proceedings to take place
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