A Metropolitan Police officer who fired a Taser at a 10-year-old girl holding garden shears has been cleared of gross misconduct. PC Jonathan Broadhead used the stun gun twice within seconds of entering the child's home in south-west London, after responding to a 999 call from her mother.
The mother had called police after the girl threatened her with a hammer and shears, following the confiscation of her mobile phone over a safeguarding concern. The panel heard that the mother feared the girl's behaviour may have been affected by consuming cannabis edibles.
During the hearing at Palestra House in London, PC Broadhead argued that the Taser was the best option available after the girl armed herself with the shears upon his arrival. He said: 'I was worried what her intentions were with the shears – why, as soon as she’d seen us, she’d picked the shears up. I was worried what she was going to do with them.'
The panel chair, Catherine Elliott, concluded that the use of Taser was 'necessary, reasonable and proportionate in all the circumstances', and the allegations were not proved. Body-worn footage showed PC Broadhead ordering the girl to put down the shears and warning 'Police officer, Taser' before firing.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) had argued that the girl posed 'no immediate threat' and that her age was not properly considered. The incident left the child with three barbs in her skin, which were removed by paramedics, and she spent a night in hospital.
