A 23 year old man was tasered while in his cell after he flicked a police officer with his wet underpants. P.C Lee Birch fired at 23 year old Daniel Dove hitting him in the chest. A Bristol crown court jury on Tuesday cleared the officer who fired the
Taser, PC Lee Birch, of assault causing actual bodily harm and
misconduct in a public office.
CCTV coverage , which was shown in open court, shows PC Birch ( pictured) hiding the taser behind his back and then shooting Dove who then writhed on the floor in agony. At the end of the trial media organisations asked the trial judge for the CCTV coverage to be released as it would be in the public interest for it to be published. The judge agreed, the defense ,prosecution and Dove himself had no objections to the footage being released. After taking instructions from Patrick Geenty, chief constable of Wiltshire, police representatives said they would be asking the crown prosecution service for the footage not to be released.
The Independent Police Complaints Commission
(IPCC) is investigating five officers in connection with the incident
and is also looking at why the Wiltshire force did not inform it about
what happened. IPCC associate commissioner Guido Liguori said "We will examine how the professional standards department at Wiltshire Police
handled matters following the incident. The IPCC has particular concerns
around the use of Taser in confined spaces including police cells, and
has asked all forces to notify us where a complaint involving Taser is
made. The investigation will consider why the use of Taser wasn't
brought to our attention earlier." The IPCC has carried out a review of
Taser use in England and Wales which is expected to be published shortly. The Crown Prosecution Service discontinued a prosecution against Dove
for assault and being drunk and disorderly on the basis that PC Birch's
credibility was under question. Edit: Friday 2nd May 2014. Video of Dove being tasered, http://bit.ly/1pWWMwN
CCTV coverage , which was shown in open court, shows PC Birch ( pictured) hiding the taser behind his back and then shooting Dove who then writhed on the floor in agony. At the end of the trial media organisations asked the trial judge for the CCTV coverage to be released as it would be in the public interest for it to be published. The judge agreed, the defense ,prosecution and Dove himself had no objections to the footage being released. After taking instructions from Patrick Geenty, chief constable of Wiltshire, police representatives said they would be asking the crown prosecution service for the footage not to be released. 
