PC Rachel Comotto, 37, used a Taser on Donald Burgess, a 92-year-old wheelchair user with dementia, during a confrontation at his care home in 2022. At a misconduct hearing, the panel heard that she later replied to a Facebook joke about care homes with “We all know what happens in care homes” and a lightning emoji; the case has raised questions about officers’ conduct towards a vulnerable man and their comments afterwards.

Police had been called after Mr Burgess threatened staff with a dinner knife. PC Stephen Smith used Pava spray and a baton, and Comotto fired the Taser after he did not drop the knife; body-worn footage showed him crying out in pain. He was taken to hospital and died three weeks later after a heart attack, having also contracted Covid-19. Comotto said colleagues had been joking at her expense, denied targeting Mr Burgess and apologised to his family, while acknowledging her post looked bad without context.