A police officer has denied creating a confrontation with a 92-year-old amputee when he drew his incapacitating Pava spray and issued an ultimatum, a police disciplinary panel has heard. PC Stephen Smith, 52, was leading the police response at a St Leonards care home in 2022.
The hearing was told that Mr Burgess, who had dementia, was threatening staff with a dinner knife. PC Smith also used his baton on Mr Burgess, a wheelchair user. When asked if he should have tried to establish a rapport, PC Smith replied "no".
PC Smith and PC Rachel Comotto, 37, who deployed her Taser on Mr Burgess, were found not guilty of assault occasioning actual bodily harm last year. The disciplinary hearing at Sussex Police's HQ in Lewes continues.