UK police used Taser on 92-year-old amputee in wheelchair, court hears
Today at 21:30
A police officer who tasered a 92-year-old amputee acted within her training, a British court has heard.
Police Constable Rachel Comotto and her colleague Police Constable Stephen Smith are accused of using excessive force on Donald Burgess at a care home in St Leonards-on-Sea, East Sussex, in June 2022.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Examiner
9 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Irish Examiner view: We need more gardaí but facial recognition could help the force do its job
Many claims are made to support the widespread introduction of facial recognition technology (FRT). Mostly they relate to policing and the efficiencies which could be gained in an era when An Garda Síochána continuously finds it difficult to fill vacancies. This was underlined this week when it was revealed that 7,000 fewer drug searches were carried out last year, compared to 2022. They dropped 15% for the entire country, but by as much as 43% in Clare/Tipperary and 34% in Cork City. If this is a consequence, as officers maintain, of fewer gardaí 'on the streets' then what will happen when almost 1,900 members of the force become eligible to retire over the next three years? There is an inexorable logic to future demands that this shortfall be managed, in part, by more widespread use of technology. Unfortunately, that runs directly into mounting worries about civil liberties and the rights of ordinary citizens to pursue legitimate interests free from unjustified official intrusion and oversight. Politicians recognise the dangers of being portrayed as agents of some form of deep state. They have been slow to introduce body cameras for guards and our government is taking baby steps on plans for incorporation of real-time facial recognition technology into next gen surveillance techniques. Justice minister Jim O'Callaghan has said a bill currently before the Dáil will not provide for the use of real-time FRT but its future deployment has not been ruled out in cases of terrorism, national security, and missing persons 'with strict safeguards'. This would have to be considered for inclusion in any subsequent bill. Live facial recognition technology uses video footage of crowds passing a camera and automatically compares their images against a police database of people on a 'watch list'. Senior officers will, no doubt, be keenly observing what happens next door. The UK, along with Germany, is already Europe's leading exponent of CCTV with more than 5m units in position compared to the few thousand we have in Ireland. Now the Metropolitan Police, the UK's largest force, is set to double its use of live facial recognition to up to 10 deployments every week. It justifies the move as part of a restructuring to offset the loss of 1,400 officers and 300 staff in a budgetary crisis. Its new tactics will be implemented at the sometimes tempestuous Notting Hill Carnival at the end of this month. The Met's commissioner, Mark Rowley, says: It's a fantastic piece of technology. It's very responsibly used, and that's why most of the public support it. The problem for civil liberties campaigners resides in the last line of that quote. The majority of citizens don't like society being under-policed, something which they equate with criminals being given an easy run and producing the kind of gloomy results contained in the recent drug search statistics. Last year, British police scanned some 4.7m faces using the technology, more than double the figure for 2023. Most senior officers believe the cameras are on their way to becoming 'commonplace' in England and Wales. The challenge for our society is to ensure the law on FRT, and any protection it contains for the rights of citizens, does not get outpaced by its use. Crimefighting success in nearby jurisdictions is likely to increase clamour for its deployment. When happiness is the best revenge The tariffs announced on Friday for 69 trading partners of the US — ranging from 41% for Syria to 10% for the UK — have all the hallmarks of a running joke. But a joke of the worst possible kind, one which has gone on too long. Shoppers enjoying a hula hoop demonstration in Cork in the run-up to Christmas, 1958. Joan Anderson, who sparked the hula hoop craze in the US died this week aged 101. Picture: Irish Examiner Archive It would be easy to complain this morning but, to draw a lesson from Monty Python, it is better to look on the bright side of life. And there is plenty there to lighten our load. American scientists have just confirmed that the world's longest streak of lightning — a 'megaflash' — covered more than 500 miles, from Texas to the outskirts of Kansas City. Meanwhile a holidaymaker rockpooling on South Uist in the Outer Hebrides has rediscovered a species of jellyfish, Depastrum cyathiforme, thought to have been extinct for 50 years. If both these reports carry a whiff of what used to known in newsrooms as 'the silly season', then we commend the heartwarming story following the death of the Australian woman who brought the concept of the hula hoop to the US, igniting one of the biggest crazes of the previous century. Joan Anderson, who died this week aged 101, failed to gain financially from a fad which had hundreds of millions of participants. She filed a lawsuit against the toy company which exploited her idea and eventually settled for minor compensation. But, in a message we might all usefully reflect on in 2025, Joan said: 'Why be angry with something you can't change? The world isn't fair but life goes on. 'I had a great life. My husband lived to be 87 and we had 63 wonderful years together. 'Happiness is the best revenge.' What's your view on this issue? You can tell us here Last supper for Gregg Wallace 'Who's the Daddy?' It's just the sort of slang phrase you can imagine being used by Gregg Wallace at the height of his laddish popularity as a TV personality, something that viewers will be able to experience for conceivably the last time starting next week. Allegations of inappropriate sexual behaviour and language were made against presenter Gregg Wallace after the forthcoming MasterChef series was recorded. Picture: BBC/PA It's certainly an adequate description of MasterChef, which in its various iterations, can be viewed as the durable forerunner of international format programming. From its launch in 1990, under the rather different stewardship of Loyd Grossman, it has been mimicked by a number of hugely successful shows all utilising a comfortingly predictable participatory and voyeuristic formula. What is common to all these programmes is that they contain lesser or greater amounts of humiliation for the contestants and the occasional soupcon of cruelty, presumably just enough to meet modern tastes without, showrunners hope, tipping over into something darker. The global MasterChef franchise has been better than most at attracting interest, watched by hundreds of millions worldwide. The upcoming series, filmed last year and which will begin on BBC One next Wednesday, was produced before allegations of inappropriate sexual behaviour and language were made against Wallace. His co-presenter John Torode was accused of making a racist comment — euphemistically known as 'the N-word' — at a social gathering more than five years ago. He says he has no recollection of doing so. After an independent review by the Lewis Silkin legal practice, which also has offices in Dublin and Belfast, Torode was told that his contract with the BBC would not be renewed. The Silkin team upheld 45 allegations against Wallace including claims of inappropriate sexual language and one incident of unwelcome physical contact over a 17-year-timeline. The decision on whether to air this latest series featuring the two sacked presenters has been fraught. It has been on hold since the accusations emerged with the BBC deciding it should go ahead after most of the contestants supported its broadcast. John Torode and Gregg Wallace. The decision on whether to air the already-recorded latest series of MasterChef featuring the two sacked presenters has been fraught. File picture: PA/BBC/Shine TV Most, but not all. One participant wanted the whole show canned, and has now been edited out of the final version. 'For me, it's about the enabling environment,' she said. 'It's that complicity. Those individual powerful men do not [act] in isolation. There is an enabling environment, turning a blind eye ... it's about years of these institutions not being accountable.' Sincere though these expressions are, based on the evidence this seems extreme. All potential viewers have the sanction of the on-off button. How many use it is likely to determine whether we get to see the Celebrity MasterChef series and the Christmas special. Wallace looks to be a serious loser. His access to international networks is being replaced by his reported plan to launch a private chat room (€13.50 a month) for men over the age of 50. 'Real talk, real support — hosted by Gregg Wallace. Fitness, food, lifestyle, laughs. Sign up below and pop in to say hello' — says the blurb. It sounds a more measured approach than one of his responses to complaints made against him. On that occasion, ignoring the dictum that, when you are in a hole, you should stop digging, he hit out at 'middle class women of a certain age'. Perhaps this is a lesson learned. Perhaps chippy masculinity will come back into fashion. But that is probably not the way to bet.
Sunday World
13 hours ago
- Sunday World
Belfast man missing for over two weeks found alive in Paris
It's understood Robert Kincaid is currently receiving treatment at a medical facility in the French capital A Belfast man who had been missing for over two weeks has been found alive in Paris, his family has confirmed. It's understood Robert Kincaid is currently receiving treatment at a medical facility in the French capital. The 38-year-old, from the Tullycarnet area, was due to arrive in Dublin on the evening of July 17 but never boarded his flight. Robert Kincaid News in 90 Seconds, Friday August 1 The oil rig worker was returning from a stint working at a west African site in Benin and was set to board his connecting flight from Charles De Gaulle airport in Paris. On Friday the family confirmed that Robert had been found by emergency services. In a statement to Belfast Live, Robert's brother Louis said: 'Rab has been found by emergency services and is requiring ongoing emergency treatment. While he is not out of the woods yet, we are just glad he is alive. "As a family, we would ask for privacy in the time ahead as we deal with the situation.' In a post on Facebook, DUP leader Gavin Robinson said the news was a 'massive relief' for the family. "I've been with the Kincaid family this afternoon,' he said. 'They are delighted Robert has been found and are incredibly grateful for the public interest and community support. 'They would now appreciate privacy as they reunite with their son.' Louis and a family friend flew to Paris on Wednesday to meet with British officials and assist in the search. Ahead of the trip, he told this newspaper his last known point of contact was a video call with a friend made from a bar in the airport. He said: 'I think he was in the airport bar having a chat basically. As far as I'm aware, there was nothing bad said, there was nothing suspicious said.' A friend video-called Robert again, although a stranger answered the phone instead. 'It looked like [they were in] a tin corrugated roof building. They basically said the phone [battery] was on 0% in broken English,' Louis explained. The second and final call made to Robert's phone was picked up by a woman, but the caller was unable to make out what was said before the line was cut off. 'He doesn't have any contacts in France, but he is a very sociable person, he would make friends with anyone,' his brother added.
The Irish Sun
20 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Chilling wolf map shows ferocious beasts prowl Brit holiday hotspots after boy, 6, snatched from mum by infamous ‘Bram'
FEROCIOUS wolves are prowling British holiday hotspots as the number of the predators continues to grow. It comes after a six-year-old boy was 8 A wolf bares teeth as he is attacked by a wolfhound Credit: Reuters 8 The terrifying moment a wolf attacked a young boy in a snow-covered Russian park Credit: East2west News 8 Picture shows rogue wolf named Bram who is suspected to be behind the dangerous attack on the six-year-old Credit: Animal Rights Netherlands 8 The child suffered , which required stitching - and was found with multiple scratches and abrasions on his body. The tot went for a walk with his mum and younger brother in the Dutch province of Utrecht when they saw an animal running towards them. At first, Mum Nynke, 41, thought it was safe for her children to play with what appeared to be a friendly dog from a distance. It was only when the wild wolf jumped on the boy and dragged him into the woods, the mum realised the danger. read more news Passers-by in the tourist hotspot Den Treek nature reserve then rushed to save the boy from the wolf's jaws. The terrified mum told Locals suspect that a rogue wolf named Bram was behind the dangerous attack. Bram, who is officially designated GW3237m, is reportedly on a death sentence for attacking other people and dogs in the region. Most read in The US Sun Parents of boy, 3, mauled to death by devil dogs facing jail after they 'let him wander into pen unsupervised' Just a few weeks ago, the lone wolf bit a female hiker twice on the leg at the Den Treek estate near Leusden A court permitted the province of Utrecht to shoot the wolf dead, saying it poses a threat to the people, the According to the court, the risk of serious injury to people is 'so severe' that the wolf must be culled. Recent wolf attacks on pet dogs, livestock and even children have sparked uproar across Europe. Wolf populations have continued to grow due to the predators being protected under the Bern Convention in EU law. But this also means there has been an increasing contact with humans. Chilling figures released in June show the number of wolf attacks on sheep and other livestock is at an all-time high. In the first three months of 2025 in the Netherlands, 368 attacks on animals were recorded, compared to a much lower 266 the year prior. 8 Warning signs on how to handle a wolf encounter are placed at the entrances of the nature estate Credit: Alamy 8 A pack of European grey wolf seen in Germany's Bavaria 8 Emile Soleil, 2, vanished in the French Alpine hamlet of Le Vernet last July, with locals fearing he was killed by wolves The Central European lowlands population of wolves currently sits at between 780-1030 wolves. And our map shows how the Dinaric-Balkan region are having to deal with the highest number of the beasts - roughly 4,000. The wolf-ridden region of mountains covers holiday hotspot destinations like northeastern Italy, Croatia, Slovenia and Albania. Wolves may also prowl Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and Serbia, as well as the northwestern part of Kosovo. Central European lowlands are also having to grapple with between 780 to 1030 wolves. Meanwhile the Alps and areas of Italy are dealing with up to 3,000 of the beasts. The EU law was modified in March of this year, however, shifting the protection status of wolves in Europe from "strictly protected" to "protected". This change grants member states more flexibility in managing the ever-growing wolf populations. The remains of a little two-year-old boy named Emile Soleil were found in a forested ravine last year with a bite mark on his skull France . Cops said that little Emile's remains were found outside of the hamlet Le Vernet almost eight months after the tod mysteriously disappeared from Alpine village. A few locals believed at the time that Another boy was attacked by a rogue wolf in a snow-covered Russian park a few years ago. Shocking video shows the However, according to the WWF, wolves in Europe don't pose a threat to humans. The animal charity says that scientific evidence has proved that wolves don't treat humans as prey, with fatal encounters being exceptional. 8 The Red Wolf (Canis rufus) is the worlds most endangered canine Credit: Getty
