Sussex Police officers convicted of assault at Brighton Magistrates

A court heard PC Daniel Lott, 32, and PC Daniel Groves, 28, inappropriately used PAVA spray while they were transporting the man in Bognor on May 29 last year.

They appeared for trial before Brighton Magistrates’ Court on May 15 where they were found guilty of common assault.

They also appeared for sentence at the same court on Wednesday, July 19.

Both men were sentenced to a community order requiring them to complete 130 hours of unpaid work, with a victim surcharge of £95 and court costs of £500.

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Superintendent Nicholas Dias, West Sussex Local Policing Lead, said: “While police need to use force at times during the course of their work, this is highly regulated.

“All officers receive regular staff safety training, which includes procedures on the appropriate use of force to make arrests and respond to incidents.

“They also receive regular training about how to apply guidance under the national decision making model.

“A supervisor carries out a review of every use of force conducted by an officer on duty.

“Excessive use of force is unacceptable and any incidents will be fully investigated.

“As soon as we became aware of this case we made a referral to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), which determined that Sussex Police should conduct the investigation.

“Following the outcome of the case the officers have been suspended, and they will be subject to disciplinary procedures.”