Two Sussex Police officers sacked for gross misconduct over tasering 92-year-old
Two Sussex Police officers have been sacked for gross misconduct after using excessive force on 92-year-old care home resident Donald Burgess, who was pepper sprayed, hit with a baton and tasered.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
Two Sussex Police officers have been sacked for gross misconduct after a disciplinary panel found they used excessive and unjustified force on a 92-year-old care home resident.
PC Stephen Smith and PC Rachel Comotto were called to a dementia care home in St Leonards-on-Sea, East Sussex, in June 2022. Staff reported that Donald Burgess, a wheelchair user and single-leg amputee, was threatening carers with a knife. He was holding a dinner knife, described in some reports as a cutlery or butter knife.
Body-worn camera footage showed the officers used pepper spray, a baton and a taser within about 90 seconds of entering his room. PC Smith pepper sprayed Mr Burgess when he did not drop the knife, then tried to knock the knife away with a baton. PC Comotto then discharged her taser. One report said 82 seconds passed between the officers entering the room and the tasering. Mr Burgess was handcuffed and taken to hospital. He contracted Covid and died three weeks later, less than a month after the incident. The officers were not held responsible for his death.
At a criminal trial last year, PC Smith and PC Comotto were cleared of assault. But the disciplinary panel at Sussex Police headquarters in Lewes found gross misconduct proven. It concluded that Mr Burgess posed no immediate risk to the officers, to care home residents or staff, or to himself. The panel said the officers made no attempt to assess his vulnerability or de-escalate the situation. It described their language as dismissive and their conduct as lacking compassion and at times antagonistic. The force used was excessive and unjustified and breached professional standards. The panel said the officers harmed public confidence in policing.
A separate misconduct claim against PC Comotto over a Facebook post in which she joked about the incident was upheld. The panel said dismissal could be justified, and the officers were sacked.
The panel said: 'Mr Burgess was not afforded the care he deserved. The officers interactions lacked compassion and professionalism that should have been shown and that the public rightly expect.' It added that the physical and psychological harm suffered by Mr Burgess was not the only reason for dismissal. The reputational damage his treatment had done to British policing was also a factor.
Mr Burgess had dementia. One report said officers were told he had dementia but did not know he had delirium from an undiagnosed bladder infection. His family said they were disgusted by the officers' behaviour and hoped the case would be a lesson to others. They welcomed the sacking and said justice had been served. They described Mr Burgess as a much-loved family man and said they wanted him remembered for the life he lived, not the final moments of the incident.
On screen
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Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, grouped by how many channels reported each one. Select a dot to see the source excerpt.
| Claim |  |  |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Widely reported · 4 or more of 5 channels | |||||
| Two Sussex Police officers had gross misconduct allegations upheld, with a disciplinary hearing finding their use of force excessive and in breach of professional standards. | |||||
| Mr Burgess was taken to hospital after the incident and died weeks later after contracting Covid, and the officers were not held responsible for his death. | Not reported by Channel 4 | Reported by ITV | |||
| The resident was Donald Burgess, a 92-year-old amputee in a wheelchair who had dementia. | Reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC News | Reported by BBC One | Reported by ITV | |
| Reported by a few · 2–3 channels | |||||
| Body-worn camera footage showed the officers using pepper spray, a baton, and a taser on Mr Burgess within a short time of arriving. | Reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by Channel 4 | Reported by ITV | |
| The panel found that Mr Burgess posed no risk and that the officers made no attempt to assess his vulnerability or de-escalate the situation. | Reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | ||
| The officers had previously been acquitted of assault in a criminal trial. | Reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by Channel 4 | |
| The panel found the officers harmed public confidence in the police. | Reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by Channel 4 | Reported by ITV |
| Only on one channel | |||||
| A misconduct claim against PC Comotto was upheld regarding a Facebook post that joked about the incident. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by Channel 4 | |
| The family of Donald Burgess said he was much loved and a family man they wanted remembered for the life he lived. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by Channel 4 | Not reported by ITV | |
| The police watchdog assessed that the fast-paced incident posed no immediate danger. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC News | Not reported by BBC One | Not reported by Channel 4 | Reported by ITV |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
This bulletin broke the news that the officers had been found to have committed gross misconduct after a criminal acquittal. It focused on the body-worn footage, the panel's finding that Donald Burgess posed no risk, and the separate Facebook post claim. It also noted the panel had retired to decide sanctions, leaving the outcome open at that stage.
- “Two police officers who were found not guilty of assault after tasering a 92 year old amputee with dementia in a care home have just been told their actions do amount to gross misconduct.”
- “The panel here have ruled that he posed no risk to the officers, to care home residents or staff or to himself, and that the officers made no efforts to de-escalate the situation.”
- “They also upheld a misconduct claim against PC Comotto over a Facebook post that she made joking about the incident.”
This programme led with the sacking and the family's reaction, calling the officers' behaviour disgusting. It stressed the panel's findings that Mr Burgess posed no risk and that the officers failed to assess his vulnerability or de-escalate. It also gave space to the family's hope that the case would be a lesson to other officers.
- “Two police officers have been sacked after using a taser and a baton on a 92 year old wheelchair use at a care home in 2022”
- “The family of Donald Burgess have told this program They were disgusted by the officers behavior saying they hope this is a lesson to others”
- “The panel found the officers harmed not only mr. Burgess but public confidence in police”
This BBC bulletin gave a compact account built around the body-worn footage and the disciplinary outcome. It highlighted that both officers were sacked for gross misconduct and that the force was used within 90 seconds. It closed with the family's view that the decision would not change what Donald experienced.
- “Two police officers who tasered a 92 year old man at a care home have been sacked for gross misconduct”
- “within 90 seconds of arriving at the care home”
- “This will not change what Donald experienced on the day”
This evening bulletin foregrounded the family's welcome for the sacking and repeated the main panel findings. It highlighted the Facebook post misconduct claim and the panel's view that reputational damage to British policing was a reason for dismissal. The tone was serious and victim-focused.
- “the family of a 92-year-old amputee who was tasered and pepper sprayed by police in his care home have told ITV News they welcome the sucking of the two officers involved”
- “Today those PCs Stephen Smith and Rachel Comotto were sacked for gross misconduct for using excessive force.”
- “But also because of the reputational damage his treatment had done to British policing.”
Channel 4 gave the most detailed timeline, saying 82 seconds passed between the officers entering the room and the tasering. It added medical context, reporting that the officers were told Mr Burgess had dementia but did not know he had delirium from an undiagnosed bladder infection. It described the panel's language as dismissive, lacking compassion and at times antagonistic.
- “82 seconds. All that passed between two police officers entering the care home room of 92-year-old amputee and wheelchair user Donald Burgess and tasering him.”
- “They were told he had dementia but didn't know he had delirium from an undiagnosed bladder infection.”
- “And that the officers were dismissive, lacking compassion and at times antagonistic.”
This BBC News programme repeated the core report with the same key facts as the other BBC bulletins. It focused on the sacking, the speed of force within 90 seconds, and the family's statement that the decision would not change what happened. It also carried unrelated news after the segment.
- “Two police officers who tasered a 92 year old man at a care home have been sacked for gross misconduct”
- “within 90 seconds of arriving at the care home both officers had used force on the 92 year old”
- “while the panel's decision to to dismiss PC Smith and PC Comotto for gross misconduct this will not change what Donald experienced on the day”
This regional BBC bulletin followed the same script as the main BBC report, using body-worn footage and the panel findings. It stressed the immediate force used by PC Smith and the family's wish that Donald Burgess be remembered for his life. Its coverage was brief and factual.
- “Two police officers who tasered a 92 year old man at a care home have been sacked for gross misconduct”
- “He was then pepper sprayed in the face when he didn't drop the knife by PC Smith”
- “The family also said that Donald Burgess was much loved and a family man who they want to be remembered for the life he lived”
News at Ten placed the case in a wider policing context, noting how routine such a call might seem but how extreme the age and setting made it. It said the watchdog found no immediate danger and described the force as clearly excessive and unreasonable. It combined the sacking outcome with a sober assessment of the incident.
- “called to reports of a man with a knife, police in Sussex use pepper spray, a baton and then a taser to forcibly disarm him so far. So sadly routine, you may say, yet the man in question was a 92-year-old sat alone in his wheelchair in his dementia care home room, his supposed weapon a piece of cutlery.”
- “as the watchdog said today, this was hardly a fast-paced incident where anyone seemed in any immediate danger.”
- “Now, four years on, the two constables involved have been sacked, guilty of gross misconduct for their clearly excessive and unreasonable actions.”
Broadcast Timeline
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