UK Police Officer Faces Misconduct Hearing Over Tasing of 92-Year-Old Dementia Patient

A police officer in the United Kingdom is facing a disciplinary hearing after Tasing a 92-year-old wheelchair-bound man with dementia, an incident that occurred shortly before his death. PC Rachel Comotto fired a 50,000-volt Taser at Donald Burgess after he reportedly threatened staff with a dinner knife and refused to drop it at the Park Beck Care Home in St Leonards-on-Sea in June 2022.

Body-worn camera footage showed Mr. Burgess screaming in pain as the Taser barbs made contact with his chest. He was subsequently transferred to a hospital, where he died three weeks later from cardiac arrest. His death is not alleged to be a direct result of the officers' actions, as he had contracted COVID-19.

Hours after the incident, PC Comotto posted a lightning emoji on Facebook, appearing to respond to a colleague's message that included a wink emoji and laughing emojis, and stated, "We all know what happens in care homes." This interaction occurred after a colleague posted a birthday message to another officer, saying, "Happy birthday, the care home is getting closer and closer."

During the misconduct hearing, PC Comotto admitted the Facebook comment "doesn't look good" and apologized to Mr. Burgess's family. She explained that she made the comment as a continuation of jokes made by her colleagues at the police station, who were teasing her about using a Taser on a vulnerable patient in a care home. She stated that the joke was at her expense and not directed at Mr. Burgess, emphasizing that "There was no humour directed at Mr. Burgess."

PC Comotto's lawyer argued that she was the "butt" of the joke and that the comment was made without the context of the situation. "With hindsight and without context it doesn't look good and I want to extend my apologies to the family," she told the panel.

PC Stephen Smith, who arrived at the scene with PC Comotto, is also facing disciplinary action. Bodycam footage showed PC Smith instructing Mr. Burgess to drop the knife, threatening to use pepper spray or a Taser if he did not comply. Mr. Burgess refused, and PC Smith then pepper-sprayed him in the face and struck him with a police baton. Following this, PC Comotto discharged her Taser.

PC Comotto testified that she discharged the Taser to prevent Mr. Burgess from being struck with the baton a second time, believing it to be a lower level of risk than further baton strikes, especially for an elderly individual. "A baton strike is a high level of force and can be quite injurious," she stated. "For an older person to receive a strike from a baton it would have more impact than on a younger person."

The officers are accused of using excessive force, which amounts to gross misconduct. The disciplinary hearing is ongoing.