Northamptonshire police officer was shot in face as he protected elderly couple

A police officer has been speaking of the moment he was shot in the face as he tried to protect an elderly couple.

PS Dave Cayton from Northamptonshire was repeatedly shot at close range with a ball bearing gun as he went upstairs to try to reason with the couple's son who was having a mental health episode.

"He was pointing a pistol directly at my head...before I could do anything he was shooting me repeatedly in the head and face. It was instantaneous. From seeing the barrel of the weapon, looking down it to feeling the pain of being shot. I engaged him with my taser - discharged both cartridges in his chest but with absolutely no effect.

"After the initial barrage of steel ball bearings he came round the bannister advancing towards me still firing, at which point I saw a sizeable knife in his free hand."

Despite his injuries, PS Cayton managed to retreat down the stairs, keeping himself between the couple and the armed man.

He was able to use spray to get the attacker to drop his weapons so PS Cayton, who was bleeding heavily by now, could handcuff him.

The police officer was taken to hospital where ball bearings were removed from his face and head. Some of them came close to causing life changing injuries.

One entered his head at the temple and was removed from behind his ear.

PS Cayton said: "Being called brave and heroic? Am I either of those things, definitely not. I'm a police officer and it's my job. That's what I get paid to do."

Dave Cayton has won a regional Police Bravery Award for his efforts. He was up against other officers from Norfolk, Hertfordshire, Essex, Suffolk and Bedfordshire for the Police Federation award.

Sam Dobbs, the Chair of Northamptonshire Police Federation, said that protecting people from harm was in the best traditions of policing.

He said that PS Cayton showed the utmost courage when he was first on the scene of a police officer’s worst nightmare - an armed man intent on causing harm.

"We all salute Dave’s actions and wonder how we’d have reacted. But the sentencing Crown Court Judge has asked the Chief Constable for the highest commendation possible. This is what makes this case and this officer a very worthy nomination for these fantastic awards”.