#taser-use

#taser-use

There was an early public acknowledgment that a serious error had occurred, yet Mr Morton was forced to pursue proceedings to the brink of trial to achieve any finality. Prolonged denial and delay can itself become a source of real harm.

Roy Morton, then 80, who lives alone and has a pacemaker, was confronted by armed officers and Tasered as he emerged from his kitchen in his pyjamas holding a wooden doorstop on the morning of December 28, 2021. Despite police records indicating the suspect was a 26-year-old man, Mr Morton was arrested for affray and detained for almost 11 hours, including a transfer to hospital. The Metropolitan Police has now agreed to settle claims with Mr Morton just weeks before a fiveday trial was listed to begin in February.

PC Liam Newman, 31, is on trial at Southwark Crown Court accused of grievous bodily harm against Mr Sandiford, who was left tetraplegic and is now confined to a wheelchair. Newman had responded with another officer to a report of attempted burglary at a bookmakers in Chigwell Road, Woodford Green, at 5am on April 24 2022. After a chase, Mr Sandiford, 62, was Tasered and fell from a height of 5 to 6ft, sustaining an injury to his spinal cord, prosecutor Irshad Sheikh said Body-worn video footage was played to the jury which showed Mr Sandiford moving across the outbuilding with his back to the camera, and the Taser being pointed and activated, before Mr Sandiford disappears from view.