Latest news with #StLeonardsonSea
BBC News
14 hours ago
- BBC News
Donald needed family love - not a baton and Taser
"You could see just by his eyes, that wasn't Donald," said Jason Pye, who watched footage of his great uncle Donald Burgess being sprayed with Pava, hit with a baton and Tasered by police played repeatedly in court."It was shocking. How does a 92-year-old know what a spray or a Taser is?"Mr Burgess, a wheelchair user who had one leg, was reportedly brandishing a cutlery knife when police arrived at his care home in St Leonards-on-Sea, East Sussex before Tasering Pye said the family could have calmed Mr Burgess if they were contacted by care staff - but the home told the BBC they gave them a full update as soon as they were able to. Care staff waited four hours until contacting Mr Burgess's family about the Pye said the family, who lived 10 minutes away, could have resolved the situation without the police, and should have been called immediately."That one room was his home. No one introduced who they were," he said Mr Burgess may have put down the knife if his family had sat with him for an hour or two. "We could have been talking to him to say 'don't be silly' and he would have recognised our voices," he said."They phoned family members before just for general updates, so I don't understand on this occasion why didn't they think of calling someone on the list to see if someone could go up there." The following video contains distressing scenes. Sussex PCs Stephen Smith and Rachel Comotto were found not guilty of assault occasioning actual bodily harm when jurors returned their unanimous verdicts at Southwark Crown Court on 28th court heard Mr Burgess was acting out of character and threatening to murder the care home had a urinary tract infection (UTI), which can make sufferers jury heard how care home staff tried for more than 30 minutes to get Mr Burgess to put down his knife, before police arrived at about 13:15 Burgess was taken to hospital after his arrest and died 22 days later after contracting Covid-19. The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said PC Smith and PC Comotto should face a gross misconduct hearing for potential breaches of the police standards of professional behaviour, with PC Comotto facing a further misconduct allegation relating to comments she made on social media after the asked if the officers would deny or admit to the allegations, Sussex Police Federation declined to comment because of the ongoing live misconduct Pye, who described his great uncle as funny and gentle, said his family were now waiting for the hearing, and for the inquest into his great uncle's death to resume."If Donald didn't go into hospital, he may not have caught Covid, and he may not have died when he did," he said. Jodie Anderson, a senior caseworker at the charity Inquest, which is supporting the family, said she hoped the inquest would look at whether the care home's decision to call the police was appropriate."I sincerely hope the care home staff have reflected on how they responded that day, " she said. In a statement, Regal Care Trading said: "We understand the family's concern regarding the timing of the call, and we recognise how important timely communication is in such circumstances. "However, staff must first ensure that the situation is stabilised before contacting family members."It said that while it valued the involvement of families, its primary responsibility was to ensure the welfare and safety of all residents and staff."In crisis situations, our policy is to promptly involve the appropriate professionals who are trained to manage complex and potentially high-risk behaviours," it said."Once the situation is under control, we inform families as soon as possible about any incidents involving their loved ones."
BBC News
6 days ago
- Climate
- BBC News
Suspected lightning strike sets house on fire in East Sussex
A house "likely" caught fire after being hit by lightning, firefighters have said. East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service (ESFRS) said it was called on Friday night to reports of a fire at a residential building on Cliftonville Road in St Leonards-on-Sea. Four fire engines and an aerial ladder platform were used to tackle the blaze, which the fire service said was extinguished by 23:45 BST. There were no reported casualties. Local residents were advised to keep windows and doors shut by firefighters, who used two hoses and one main jet to put out the flames. Police were also in attendance, according to ESFRS. It comes after the Met Office issued an amber warning for thunderstorms, covering parts of east Sussex and Kent. More than 30,000 lightning strikes were recorded across the UK overnight, with the extreme weather causing flash floods in parts of Kent.
Sky News
28-05-2025
- Politics
- Sky News
Police officers who pepper-sprayed and tasered 92-year-old amputee in care home cleared of assault
Two police officers who pepper-sprayed and tasered a 92-year-old disabled man have been cleared of assault. PC Stephen Smith and PC Rachel Comotto went on trial over the incident involving Donald Burgess, a single-leg amputee, at Park Beck care home in St Leonards-on-Sea, East Sussex, on 21 June 2022. Smith, 51, denied with two counts of assault by using Pava spray and a baton, and Comotto denied one charge of assault by discharging her Taser. They were found not guilty following a trial at Southwark Crown Court. Please refresh the page for the fullest version.
Daily Mail
28-05-2025
- General
- Daily Mail
BREAKING NEWS Police officers who Tasered and pepper-sprayed 92-year-old amputee in care home are found not guilty of assault
Two police officers who Tasered and pepper-sprayed a 92-year-old amputee in a care home have been found not guilty of assault occasioning actual bodily harm. PC Stephen Smith, 51, and PC Rachel Comotto, 36, were both cleared of charges relating to Donald Burgess, a single-leg amputee and wheelchair user, after he was restrained at Park Beck care home in St Leonards-on-Sea, East Sussex. The jury at Southwark Crown Court returned a verdict just hours after being sent out for deliberations by a judge earlier today. PC Smith has been cleared of two charges relating to the discharge of Pava spray and a baton, while PC Comotto was cleared of a charge related to discharging her Taser. This is a breaking news story and is being updated.
BBC News
28-05-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Sussex police officers not guilty of assaulting 92-year-old amputee
Two police officers have been found not guilty of assault occasioning actual bodily harm after a 92-year-old amputee was pepper-sprayed and Tasered at his care Stephen Smith, 51, and Rachel Comotto, 36, denied using excessive force on Donald Burgess at Park Beck care home in St Leonards-on-Sea, East care home called 999 in June 2022 after Mr Burgess, a single-leg amputee and wheelchair user, reportedly grabbed a knife and threatened to stab Burgess was taken to hospital where he contracted Covid and died 22 days later, but the officers were not being held responsible for his death.
