Overview

• The footage, released June 3, shows PC Lorne Castle grabbing a Stanley-type knife-wielding 15-year-old and using aggressive language and physical force.
• A misconduct panel on May 29, led by ACC Deborah Smith, found Castle guilty of gross misconduct, dismissed him without notice and barred him from returning to the force.
• Castle tearfully apologized at the hearing, saying flashbacks from a traumatic county lines arrest 18 months earlier caused him to lose control.
• The teenager, suspected of assaulting an elderly man and involved in a fracas outside McDonald’s, can be heard screaming and struggling to breathe as Castle holds him down.
• Supporters have raised nearly £30,000 through GoFundMe to back Castle’s appeal, spurring MPs to urge Home Secretary Yvette Cooper to review the decision.