A 93-year-old man with dementia and one leg has died three weeks after being Tasered by police in a care home in St Leonards-on-Sea, Sussex. Donald Burgess, who had threatened staff with a knife, was hit with a Taser by two constables on 21 June. He died on 13 July.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) is investigating the incident. The two officers involved have been served with misconduct notices and are under criminal investigation for manslaughter. The IOPC stressed this does not mean disciplinary or criminal charges will follow.
One officer used incapacitant spray and a baton, while the other fired a Taser before the knife was removed. Burgess was handcuffed and taken to hospital, where he remained until his death. The cause of death is not yet known; a postmortem has been conducted and medical findings are awaited.
IOPC regional director Graham Beesley expressed sympathy to the family and said the investigation will examine whether the force used was reasonable, necessary, and proportionate. Deborah Coles of the charity Inquest called the level of force “almost unconscionable” and questioned why a medical response was not summoned instead.
