PULSE POINTS:
❓What Happened: A 92-year-old disabled man holding a butter knife was pepper-sprayed, tasered, and struck with a baton by police officers responding to a nursing home incident. After being hospitalized, he contracted COVID-19 and died within a month.
👥 Who’s Involved: Donald Burgess, a one-legged wheelchair user; Police Constable (PC) Stephen Smith, and PC Rachel Comotto.
📍 Where & When: The incident occurred at St Leonards-on-Sea, England, on June 21, 2022. Bodycam footage was released this week.
💬 Key Quote: Prosecutor Paul Jarvis KC: “This was an elderly, vulnerable man who may not have understood what was going on. Rather than being met with understanding and sympathy, he was confronted by irritation and annoyance on the part of the defendants.”
⚠️ Impact: Mr. Burgess was hospitalized and died 22 days after the incident.
IN FULL:
Two British police officers are on trial for allegedly using excessive force against a 92-year-old disabled man at a nursing home in East Sussex. The incident, which occurred on June 21, 2022, involved Donald Burgess, a one-legged pensioner in a wheelchair, who was pepper-sprayed, tasered, and struck with a baton within seconds of officers entering his room.
Southwark Crown Court heard that Police Constable (PC) Stephen Smith and PC Rachel Comotto were responding to an emergency call after staff reported Mr. Burgess had poked a care worker with a knife. Staff had spent 30 minutes attempting to calm Mr. Burgess after he flicked food and brandished a small butter knife, before calling police.
Prosecutors allege that the officers used “unjustified and unlawful” force. According to bodycam footage presented in court, PC Smith pepper-sprayed Mr. Burgess directly in the face, allegedly emptying the canister. Moments later, Smith struck him with a baton, and Comotto deployed her Taser, causing Mr. Burgess to cry out in pain.
Prosecutor Paul Jarvis KC told jurors that Mr. Burgess was seated in his wheelchair, holding the knife but posing no immediate threat. He stated, “It ought to have been obvious by the fact he had one leg that this was a man who wasn’t going to be mobile.”
He added, “This was an elderly, vulnerable man who may not have understood what was going on. Rather than being met with understanding and sympathy, he was confronted by irritation and annoyance on the part of the defendants.”
The court was told that the officers did not consult staff or explain their actions to Mr. Burgess before issuing commands. PC Smith warned, “Do you want to put the knife down, or you will be sprayed or tasered? Those are the options,” before discharging the spray.
Mr. Burgess, who suffered from multiple health conditions, including diabetes and carotid artery disease, was taken to the hospital after the incident. He later reportedly contracted COVID there and passed away 22 days later. Still, prosecutors say that the officers are not being held responsible for his death.
The case comes amid accusations of two-tier policing by British police, with Christians, conservatives, and white people receiving less favorable treatment. There have been many arrests and visits to people’s homes over social media posts in recent months, some of them labelled “non-crime hate incidents.”
VIDEO:
ADMIN POST.
A 93-year-old disabled pensioner was sprayed in the face with pepper spray before being shot by a Taser and hit with a baton by police officers, a court has heard.
Donald Burgess was assaulted by PC Stephen Smith and PC Rachel Comotto after officers responded to a… pic.twitter.com/OPBayQccsd
— Tommy Robinson 🇬🇧 (@TRobinsonNewEra) May 19, 2025
