Sussex police officers dismissed after assaulting a member of the public

The officers were dismissed alongside an ex-officer who was found to have used excessive force against a member of the public and treated them in a derogatory manner.

Together, the two officers and the ex-officer were the subject of two separate accelerated misconduct hearings shared by chief constable Jo Shiner at Sussex Police HQ in Lewes yesterday (Wednesday, 30 August.)

Accelerated misconduct hearings are held when there is incontrovertible evidence against the defendant, and it is in the public interest to remove the officer from service as soon as possible, or to have them placed on the barred list.

The first hearing was told how PC Morgan Pearson, 24, from Chichester spoke to a female detainee in a threatening manner, showing a lack of tolerance and respect. He also, the hearing was told, used excessive force to push her head down while she was being detained, and was observed speaking to colleagues in a discriminatory way, making abusive comments about her mental health and appearance.

After he was interviewed about the matters, Pearson resigned from the force. At the hearing, he faced allegations of breaching Standards of Professional Behaviour namely Authority, Respect and Courtesy, Discreditable Conduct, Equality and Diversity and Use of Force.

Chief constable Shiner found the allegations to be true, and decided that Pearson would have been dismissed had he not already resigned. Instead, he will be prevented from returning to the profession for the rest of his life.

The second hearing concerned two police officers who, following a trial at Brighton Magistrates Court on May 15, were found guilty of assaulting they had detained and were transporting to custody in Bognor Regis.

PC Daniel Lott, 33, and PC Daniel Graves, 29, used PAVA spray on the victim while on duty on May 29 last year. They were sentenced to 150 hours of unpaid work, with court costs of £500, and a victim surcharge of £95.

At the hearing, they faced allegations of of breaching standards of professional behaviour namely Use of Force, Authority, Respect and Courtesy and Discreditable Conduct, and were promptly dismissed by chief constable Shiner.

"“The actions of these three officers has tarnished the name of Sussex Police, has discredited thousands of hard-working and supremely conscientious colleagues and above all else, had failed the people of Sussex who put their trust in us,” she said.

“Protecting vulnerable people is a priority for Sussex Police and we take any report of inappropriate behaviour extremely seriously. There is no place in the force for such conduct which had been reflected in the outcomes of the hearings today.”