'Inexcusable' moment Hampshire Police officer grabs detainee by the neck and pins him to the floor

  • CCTV footage of Sgt Simon Lythgoe. Credit: Hampshire Police

A police sergeant who grabbed a detainee by the neck and pinned him to the floor has been dismissed from the force.

Sgt Simon Lythgoe can be seen in a CCTV video coming out from behind his desk and grabbing a detainee by his neck and pinning him against the wall and then to the ground.

The incident took place inside Newport police station on the Isle of Wight.

In another video, he can be seen grabbing a second person by the neck and pinning them down.

Following the events, there was a misconduct hearing and a comprehensive review of the evidence by the misconduct panel led to his immediate dismissal.

The Deputy Chief Constable of the force described his actions as "simply inexcusable".

Lythgoe's actions were described as 'simply inexcusable' Credit: Hampshire Police

Deputy Chief Constable, Sam de Reya, said: “The public should have confidence that when we use our policing powers to arrest and bring people into our custody suites, detainees will be treated with compassion and care. 

“The case involving Sgt Lythgoe and the level of force demonstrated by him on duty is incredibly disappointing and completely unjustified. This is not the way we care, manage and deliver safe detention for the 25,000 people who every year come through the Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary custody centres.

“This type of extreme behaviour is never acceptable and goes against everything we, as officers and staff, work hard to honour and protect every day; to protect the public and keep our communities a safe place for all.

“This case was highlighted to our Professional Standards team by a person working within the custody block, Sgt Lythgoe was placed on directed duties and the circumstances were thoroughly investigated leading to the misconduct hearing. A comprehensive review of the evidence by the misconduct panel has rightly led to the immediate dismissal of this officer.

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"This demonstrates that we act quickly as a force to ensure we proactively investigate offences, misconduct and poor levels of service and root out those who have no place in the police service.

“Our officers and staff operate to the highest standards of behaviour and professionalism expected of our communities and colleagues. They are committed to bringing criminals to justice and are regularly putting themselves in harm’s way to protect people and save lives. When the standards of one individual fall short, it impacts on us all.

“Due to the complex and sometimes violent nature of the policing role, we do have to engage the necessary policing powers and at times use force. We have clear guidance, training and scrutiny to ensure when we do apply force it is proportionate and necessary.

“The panel has concluded the physical actions of Sgt Lythgoe were simply inexcusable and he has been dismissed with immediate effect. On behalf of the force, I would like to apologise to the victims in this case and thank the colleague who stepped forward to challenge and report behaviour.”

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