Five police officers will face gross misconduct proceedings after a man lost his fingertips when they were trapped under a toilet rim at an Essex police station.
An inspector, three police constables and a temporary police sergeant face disciplinary action following the altercation at Colchester Police Station which saw three of a man’s finger tips chopped off.
The 33-year-old was being held at the station in the early hours of May 1, 2015 when he was found with his foot in the toilet bowl.
A group of officers tried to pull the man, who has been described as a foreign national with mental health issues, out of the toilet but he grabbed hold of the rim.
As they tried to restrain him, the tips of three of his fingers were sliced off by the seat.
The man was rushed to hospital along with the severed parts of his hands, but doctors were unable to reattach them.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) announced on Monday that the five officers will face gross misconduct proceedings over the case, which will begin on May 7.
“We concluded that five officers have a case to answer for gross misconduct and Essex agreed. It will now be for an independent panel to consider the evidence and make its judgment,” announced IOPC regional director Sarah Green.
In addition to the five officers facing misconduct proceedings, one sergeant admitted misconduct over the case and received a written warning while another received management action.
The Crown Prosecution Service decided in August that no criminal charges would be brought in the case.
Essex Police replaced all toilets of the same design in the wake of the incident.
