Overview

• PC Stephen Smith and PC Rachel Comotto are charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm after allegedly using excessive force on Donald Burgess in June 2022.
• Jurors reviewed bodycam footage showing officers deploying pepper spray, a baton, and a Taser within 83 seconds of entering Burgess’s room.
• Prosecutors argue the force used was excessive and unnecessary given Burgess’s age, physical condition, and status as a wheelchair-bound amputee with dementia.
• Defense expert Ian Mills testified that the officers’ actions were consistent with police training based on their perception of the threat posed by Burgess, who was holding a knife.
• The trial continues at Southwark Crown Court, with new footage revealing officers joking about the incident shortly after it occurred.