Body-worn camera footage of John Henry Sayers being shot with a taser by Northumbria Police officers was played at the Old Bailey on Monday. The 62-year-old and his son, John Henry Sayers Jr., are on trial accused of causing grievous bodily harm with intent to Walter Patterson, who allegedly set fire to a Range Rover that had been driven into the Sayers' home on Fossway, Byker.
Footage Shows Sayers Tasered While Carrying Machete
The court viewed footage from PC Christopher Hastie's body-worn camera. It shows Sayers Sr. standing next to Patterson, who is on the ground. Sayers tells the officer to get medical assistance for Patterson before walking away, responding with “f*** off” when challenged. He then jogs back toward his home.
As the officer gives chase, the footage becomes blurry. PC Hastie, a trained firearms officer, shouts “police with taser” and immediately deploys his taser. Sayers is shot twice by PC Hastie and once by a colleague's taser, falling to the ground near a metal fence.
Son Accuses Police of Letting Arsonist Escape
Sayers Jr. shouts “woah, woah, woah” and tells officers that Patterson has gone. He says, “You’ve let him go man.” Under cross-examination by Laura Miller, representing Sayers Jr., PC Hastie agreed that Sayers Jr. was “upset” and had called him a “f****** idiot” for letting the culprit escape.
During re-examination by prosecutor Matthew Bean KC, PC Hastie stated he believed Sayers Sr. might have intended to use the machete against someone. “I believed he could cause death or serious injury with the weapon he refused to put down. There was an immediate risk to myself and my colleague,” he said.
Footage from Second Officer Also Played
Body-worn camera footage from PC Sean Nicholson, who was with PC Hastie, was also played. It shows Sayers Sr. lying on the ground after being tasered. He tells officers he had to move the burning Range Rover away from his property and adds, “You’ve let the person who tried to burn my house down get away.”
Sayers Sr., 62, and Sayers Jr., 29, both of Fossway, Byker, Newcastle, deny causing GBH with intent. The trial continues.
