Two police officers were mocked after a 92-year-old amputee was Tasered at a care home in East Sussex, a gross misconduct hearing has been told.

Donald Burgess, who had dementia, was Pava sprayed and Tasered in his wheelchair during an incident at the Park Beck care home in St Leonards-on-Sea in June 2022.

PC Stephen Smith and PC Rachel Comotto, who were both acquitted of assault occasioning actual bodily harm in May 2025, had been called to the home after Burgess threatened carers with a dinner knife.

Comotto, 37, told the hearing at Sussex Police HQ in Lewes that other officers throughout Hastings police station "were laughing and joking at my expense for deploying a Taser in a care home".

Comotto's counsel, Colin Banham, asked: "The ribbing wasn't about Mr Burgess from your colleagues?"

Comotto stressed that it was "about me deploying the Taser".

Bodyworn camera footage from the incident showed Smith, 52, walking into Burgess' room and saying: "Do you want to be sprayed or Tasered? Its up to you. Can you put that down for us?"

Despite repeated requests Burgess did not drop the dinner knife, and then Smith used an incapacitating Pava pepper spray on the 92-year-old before attempting to dislodge the knife with a baton, the hearing was told.

Comotto said: "After that initial strike with the baton was unsuccessful I stepped back. Then more verbal commands were issued to Mr Burgess to drop the knife.

"Mr Burgess did not comply with those instructions, PC Smith took another step forward and I thought he would issue a second strike from his baton on Mr Burgess," the disciplinary panel heard.

In a statement made after the incident, Comotto said she thought a second baton strike "may have been too much for Mr Burgess", concluding that it would be "safer to use Taser" on account of his age.

During cross-examination by force lawyer Aaron Rathmell, he suggested the best way to stop any potential second baton strike was to shout 'stop, no', rather than use a Taser.

Comotto replied she thought in that moment her actions were correct to help resolve the incident safely.

She added: "With all the information I know now, I would take a different approach."

It was the first time Comotto, who denied discharging her Taser in panic, had ever used it in a real-life incident, the hearing was told.

Warning: The following video contains distressing scenes

Denis Barry, the counsel for Smith said his client "was never going to use a second strike".

Earlier this week, Smith told the panel he was using the baton "as an extension of my arm" and was "absolutely not" trying to strike Burgess.

Minutes after the Taser was deployed Comotto said she talked to Burgess before placing him in handcuffs because she said "it's part of the aftercare procedure" to reassure the individual.

Comotto is facing a separate allegation relating to comments posted following the incident, which involved her reaction to a birthday message posted on a colleague's Facebook page.

The post read: "Happy birthday. The care home is getting closer and closer."

Comotto replied: "We all know what happens in care homes", followed by a lightning emoji.

Another police officer joked: "I think you will be banned from going to any care homes in future.

"All he wanted to do was butter his bread", followed by two laughing emojis.

Addressing the hearing, Comotto said: "I'd like to clarify no humour was directed at Mr Burgess, it was a continuation of the joke I was subjected to or the butt of."

She accepted that, "with hindsight", it "doesn't look good".

"I appreciate that and I want to extend my apologies to the family. I'm really sorry," she said.

The hearing continues.

Additional reporting by PA Media.

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