A police officer who fired a 50,000-volt Taser at a 92-year-old wheelchair-bound dementia sufferer later posted a lightning emoji on social media appearing to joke about the incident, a misconduct hearing was told.
asserted
hearing → fire → incident
PC Rachel Comotto fired the weapon at Donald Burgess, a wheelchair-bound amputee, after he threatened to stab staff in his care home and refused to drop a dinner knife.
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he → fire → knife
A disciplinary panel watched body-worn footage which showed Mr Burgess screaming out in pain as the Taser barbs hit his chest and delivered a massive electric shock.
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barbs → watch → shock
After his condition deteriorated, he was transferred to hospital where he died three weeks later following a cardiac arrest.
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he → deteriorate → arrest
But in the hours after the incident at Park Beck Care Home in St Leonards-on-Sea, PC Comotto posted a lightning emoji in response to a Facebook post.
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Comotto → post → post
She interacted with a colleague on Facebook after they posted a message to a separate officer on Facebook saying: 'Happy birthday, the care home is getting closer and closer' alongside a wink emoji and laughing emoji.
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home → interact → emoji
PC Comotto replied: 'We all know what happens in care homes' and then added a lightning emoji.
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what → reply → emoji
The officer replied: 'I think you'll be banned from going to any care homes in future.
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you → reply → future
All he wanted to do was butter his bread,' with two laughing emojis.
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he → want → emojis
Sussex Police officers PC Stephen Smith and PC Rachel Comotto are facing a disciplinary hearing after pepper-spraying and tasering an elderly man with dementia
Mr Burgess was taken in handcuffs to a police station where his condition declined and he died three weeks later after contracting Covid-19
PC
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he → face → Covid-19
Comotto told a police disciplinary panel she made the comment after being made the butt of a joke by colleagues at her police station.
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she → tell → station
She said fellow officers were 'laughing and joking' at her because she had fired the weapon at a vulnerable patient in a dementia care home.
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she → say → home
At a misconduct hearing in Lewes, East Sussex, PC Comotto admitted the Facebook comment she made 'doesn't look good' and apologised to the family of Mr Burgess.
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she → admit → Burgess
But she said she made the comment after being made 'the butt' of the joke by fellow officers who were 'laughing and joking' about the incident.
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who → say → incident
Colin Banham, her lawyer, asked: 'They were ribbing you?
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They → ask → you
How far had this joke spread?'
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joke → spread → ?
She responded: 'They did not know the details but they were laughing and joking at my expense.
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they → respond → expense
Mr Banham asked: 'They were joking it had happened in a care home?'
PC Comotto said: 'There was no humour directed at Mr Burgess.'
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Comotto → ask → Burgess
PC Comotto said her Facebook post was also not meant to poke fun at Mr Burgess or the incident.
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post → say → Burgess
She said: 'It was continuation of the joke I was the subject of or the butt of.
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I → say → joke
'With hindsight and without context it doesn't look good and I want to extend my apologies to the family.
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I → look → family
The incident happened in June 2022 after police received reports of an elderly man threatening staff with a knife.
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man → happen → knife
PC Stephen Smith and PC Comotto arrived at the home at 1.15pm and confronted wheelchair-bound Mr Burgess, who had been isolated in his own room and was holding a dinner knife.
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who → arrive → knife
PC Smith walked into the room first and told Mr Burgess he would be 'sprayed or tasered' if he failed to immediately drop a knife he was holding.
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he → walk → knife
PC Smith allegedly sprayed Donald Burgess in the face when he refused to let go of a knife
PC Comotto allegedly used her Taser against Mr Burgess after he had been sprayed and hit with a baton
In body-worn footage taken from PC Smith's camera, the officer says: 'Do you want to put the knife down mate for me or you will be sprayed or tasered.
uncertain
you → spray → me
Do you want to put it down for me?
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you → want → me
We can solve this without having to resort to this.
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We → solve → this
'
Raising his voice he says: 'Do as you're told.
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you → raise → voice
Donald put it down.
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Donald → put → it
He then pepper sprays the pensioner in the face before repeating his demands for Mr Burgess to drop the knife.
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Burgess → spray → knife
When Mr Burgess fails to do so he screams at the pensioner and hits him with his police baton.
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he → fail → baton
PC Comotto then shouts 'Taser, Taser' before discharging the weapon at the wheelchair-bound pensioner who screams in pain.
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who → shout → pain
In the second video shown of PC Comotto's body-worn footage, she tries to tend to the pensioner, who is struggling to breathe following the pepper spray.
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who → show → spray
She says: 'Donald.
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She → say → ?
How're you feeling?
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you → feel → ?
'
'I'm dying,' replies the 92-year-old.
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old → die → ?
The video footage shows the officers handcuffing the pensioner and then wheeling him out of the care home to give him fresh air.
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officers → show → air
PC Comotto, 37, and her colleague PC Stephen Smith, 52, are appearing before a disciplinary hearing accused of using 'excessive force' amounting to gross misconduct.
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Comotto → appear → misconduct
Earlier, PC Comotto told the hearing she had discharged the Taser at Mr Burgess to prevent him being hit with a baton a second time.
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him → tell → baton
She said that after the initial strike was unsuccessful, she saw PC Smith was about to deliver a second blow.
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Smith → say → blow
…and 4 more, not listed.
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