Two Sussex police officers sentenced for assaulting man in their custody

Two Sussex police officers have been sentenced after they were convicted of assaulting a man they were transporting to custody in Bognor.

PC Daniel Lott, 32, and PC Daniel Groves, 28, were found guilty of common assault after they appeared for trial at Brighton Magistrates’ Court on May 15.

The incident involved the inappropriate use of PAVA spray and took place while they were on duty on May 29 last year.

Both men were sentenced yesterday (July 19) to a community order requiring them to complete 130 hours of unpaid work, with a victim surcharge of £95 and court costs of £500.

The officers have been suspended and Sussex Police has said the excessive use of force is unacceptable.

West Sussex Local Policing Lead, Superintendent Nicholas Dias, 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."