Met Police officer cleared after Tasering girl, 10

A Met officer who Tasered a 10-year-old girl twice after she threatened her mother with garden shears has been cleared of gross misconduct.

PC Jonathan Broadhead was accused of using force "which was not necessary, reasonable and proportionate" against her, a misconduct hearing was told.

He fired his Taser at the child twice within "approximately eight seconds" of entering her home.

The incident happened in Brixton, south London, on 21 January 2021.

The Met Police misconduct panel found the allegations were not proven and PC Broadhead's actions were based on an "honestly held belief" the girl presented a risk.

In response to the decision, Cdr Jon Savell said: "This is an extremely rare and unusual case. In the immediate days after the incident a senior officer visited the address to apologise for the trauma caused to the girl and her family.

"Although no misconduct has been found, we repeat this apology today."

He defended the force's use of Tasers, saying they "provide officers with the ability to de-escalate situations and protect others from harm".

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On Monday, the hearing at Palestra House in central London was told the girl's mother had called 999 when her daughter threatened her with the shears and hit her with a hammer.

Cannabis edibles

It happened after the mother, who was referred to during the hearing as Miss A, had confiscated the girl's mobile phone.

Giving evidence, Miss A said she worried her daughter's behaviour may have been affected by the consumption of cannabis edibles and that the girl had struck her with the hammer after she called 999.

She told the hearing that although her daughter had hit her with the hammer before police arrived, the girl was a safe distance away from her when officers got there and she did not want her to be Tasered.

The girl, referred to as Child A during the hearing, was still clutching the garden shears when PC Broadhead discharged the Taser and had not listened to his commands to drop them, the panel heard.

'Worried' about girl's intentions

PC Broadhead argued that the "Taser was the best option I had", after Child A "armed" herself with the shears on his arrival, posing a risk to him and others in the house.

Giving evidence on Tuesday, he said: "I was worried what her intentions were with the shears; why, as soon as she'd seen us, she'd picked the shears up. I was worried what she was going to do with them."

Presenting the case for the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) watchdog, barrister Olivia Checa-Dover argued Child A had posed "no immediate threat" and said her age was not properly factored into PC Broadhead's decision-making.

Ms Checa-Dover said in body-worn camera footage Miss A "was presenting as calm", adding that Child A "is seen some way from the door, further along the hallway" and "appears to pick something up - now understood to be shears - from the floor".

"The officer instructed her to put them down, which she did not do. She walked away from those present, moving up the stairs of the home.

"The officer didn't speak to Miss A to clarify the present situation or whether there was anyone else in the house; rather, he advanced into the house announcing he was a police officer with a Taser and soon thereafter using his Taser twice on her whilst she was on the stairs."

'Adequate aftercare'

Giving the panel's ruling, chair Catherine Elliot said: "Having considered the evidence in great detail... the panel has concluded that PC Broadhead's use of Taser on Child A was necessary, reasonable and proportionate in all the circumstances. The allegations are therefore not proved."

Following the ruling, IOPC regional director Mel Palmer said: "It was our view that an independent disciplinary panel could - based on the evidence - find that the officer had committed gross misconduct by breaching the standard of professional behaviour for use of force.

"We did find the officers provided adequate aftercare to the child by calling paramedics to remove the Taser barbs, performing a partial search and keeping her in handcuffs.

"This meant that the barbs were not moved, which may have caused her further pain."

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