An award-winning police officer has been fired after he was accused of showing a lack of courtesy and respect to a knife-carrying teenager he arrested for assault.
The decision to dismiss PC Lorne Castle has prompted fury after he was found to have committed gross misconduct – with critics calling it ‘bloody madness’ and ‘perverse’.
The officer swore at and threatened the 15-year-old suspect as he arrested him for allegedly assaulting two people, one of whom was an elderly man.
PC Castle, 46, pinned the youth up against a wall before taking him to the ground – both techniques which were later deemed lawful.
The boy, known as Witness A, screamed in the officer’s face and resisted arrest while on the floor.
The officer of nine years then called him a ‘b***h’ and threatened to ‘smash him in’ while straddling him – and at one stage he placed his hand on the boy’s face and jabbed his finger at him, a disciplinary panel heard.
During the commotion a Stanley-type knife fell out of the teenager’s waistband.
But the panel has now ruled PC Castle made the boy feel ‘frightened and intimidated’ and showed him a ‘lack of courtesy and respect’ during the arrest in Bournemouth in January last year.
PC Lorne Castle (pictured) has been dismissed after he was accused of showing a lack of courtesy and respect to a knife-carrying teenager he arrested for assault
Pc Castle (right) won an award for saving a person from drowning, as well as previously being named Neighbourhood Police Officer of the Year
Dorset Police Deputy Chief Constable Rachel Farrell (pictured) has said PC Castle let the force down by his actions when carrying out the arrest in January last year
Senior officers later reviewed the bodycam footage and placed PC Castle under investigation which took 16 months.
The officer admitted that he ‘lost control’ during the arrest and tearfully apologised for his ‘out of character’ actions at a police disciplinary hearing.
But the panel, led by Dorset Police Assistant Chief Constable Deborah Smith, found him guilty of gross misconduct.
They said he failed to act with self-control, did not treat the boy with courtesy or respect and that his ‘shouting, swearing, finger pointing, taking hold of the boy’s face suggested use of leg restraints was not necessary, reasonable or proportionate’.
It was alleged the officer also grabbed the boy’s throat but this was not proven.
PC Castle was dismissed without notice and barred from serving again – in a verdict that has now fuelled fury.
Norman Brennan, a retired police officer and founder of the campaign group Protect the Protectors, accused Dorset Police of throwing PC Castle ‘under a bus’.
He said: ‘Senior officers at Dorset Police have taken leave of their senses.. This decision epitomises how they have lost touch with the danger and reality of frontline policing. It is bloody madness.
Pc Lorne Castle (left) received several national awards for his policework in the 10 years since he joined Dorset Police
‘Police officers when facing volatile or violent situations will at times swear and use some unsavoury words.
‘All arrests involve some form of force and pushing someone even in the face during a struggle is not always intentional and even if it is its part and parcel in many arrests when restraining a suspect. No arrest is without some sort of force.
‘I’m sick and tired of officers being disciplined for things like this and I think the majority of the public would think this is absolutely bonkers.
‘Many senior officers kowtow to the constant criticism of the police in a sort of appeasement and often throw officers under the bus or to the wolves as sacrificial lambs. Cases like this are more likely to deter people from joining the police.
‘Thousands of officers have and are already throwing the towel in as they have lost faith and confidence in their leadership who in turn are detached from the dangers and stresses of front line policing in Britain in this very violent age that we live in.’
The incident that led to PC Castle’s sacking happened in Bournemouth town centre at 5.30pm on January 27 last year.
The boy was suspected of assaulting an elderly man while riding an e-scooter and then getting embroiled in a fracas with another youth outside McDonalds – while ge was also alleged to have run away from town rangers who tried to apprehend him until police arrived.
PC Castle, who has twice won a national bravery award including one for saving an elderly woman from drowning in a swollen river in 2023, spotted the suspect walking up Richmond Hill in Bournemouth.
Pc Castle (right), pictured with his wife Denise, accepts he committed misconduct but denies his behaviour amounted to gross misconduct
Bodycam footage showed PC Castle run up to the suspect and push him against the wall before bundling him to the ground and sitting on top of him.
He told the youth to ‘show me your f*****g hands’ and then put his hands and finger in the teen’s face – and when the boy was unable to move his arms, PC Castle told him to ‘stop screaming like a little b***h’.
Neither the boy or his family complained about the arrest but PC Castle’s colleagues reported concerns about his conduct to senior officers.
Giving evidence, PC Castle said he became ‘overwhelmed and scared’ when the boy resisted as his mind flashed back to his arrest of a county lines drug dealer 18 months earlier which led him fearing for his life.
As the officer struggled with the dealer, his associate who was stood behind was being told to ‘cut him’ – before an off-duty officer intervened to defend him.
PC Castle admitted he had overstepped the mark with his language and aggression and broke down in tears as he said: ‘I’m embarrassed by the video and I apologise for my actions.
‘Anyone who knows me in public or private life knows that is not how I behave. When he started screaming and resisting I panicked and became overwhelmed.
‘I did not choke the suspect and I did not get him in a headlock. I was trying to keep his head still with the palm of my hand so he did not hit his head.
PC Lorne Castle admitted that he ‘lost control’ during the arrest and tearfully apologised for his ‘out of character’ actions at a police disciplinary hearing
‘I did not put my full weight on him as my knees were on the concrete. I only applied enough weight to keep his body still.
‘During the arrest I saw the knife fall out of his waistband so he was arrested for a knife offence. I think the arrest needed to be made but I lost control of the situation.’
Mark Ley Morgan, representing Dorset Police at the hearing, said the knife was not relevant as PC Castle did not know the boy had it when making the arrest.
Mr Morgan said: ‘PC Castle breached standards of professional behaviour by failing to act with self control and failing to treat him with courtesy or respect.
‘He abused his power and authority and his behaviour undermined confidence in the police.
‘It was totally unnecessary and disproportionate, and it is so serious that dismissal would be justified.’
After the hearing, Dorset Police Deputy Chief Constable Rachel Farrell acknowledged that officers did a ‘tough job’ but said PC Castle let the force down by his actions.
She said: ‘I have never been in any doubt that PC Castle’s actions were excessive, aggressive and inappropriate and I can understand the communities we serve will be concerned about this case.
Mark Ley-Morgan, representing the Dorset Police, said the alleged misconduct was ‘so serious dismissal would be justified’
‘PC Castle has let the police service and his colleagues down and he does not represent the many hard-working officers and staff of Dorset Police.
‘The outcome reflects the seriousness of this matter and ensures that he will no longer hold a role in policing and the privilege of constable.
‘I am grateful to the officers for having the courage to do the right thing and report their concerns about PC Castle’s actions.’
But campaigner Mr Brennan called the officer’s punishment disproportionate, adding: ‘I am astounded that the matter reached a formal disciplinary hearing.
‘A senior officer should have pulled him aside and given him words of advice about how the public may perceive officers when arresting somebody before letting him go back on the streets.’
PC Castle worked as a community patrol officer in Bournemouth before he joined Dorset Police in about 2016.
He was once named community officer of the year and last year was awarded a Royal Humane Society’s testimonial on parchment for saving the woman in the River Avon at Christchurch.
The citation stated how he entered the fast-flowing water and used a rope and life ring and managed to get it close enough to the woman to grab it, saying: ‘The brave actions of the officers undoubtedly saved her life.’
Outside of policing he has run a successful boxing training academy with his wife of 24 years, Denise Castle.
Following the panel’s verdict, Mr Castle said he was still processing the outcome of the case – while also thanking members of the public who backed him him.
He said: ‘I have had an unbelievable amount of public support, from people I know and don’t know, which has really kept me going.
‘All I will ever do is to try my best. I’m going to think about it (the outcome) and process it a little longer.
‘I can’t say how much the messages and public support has meant to me because it has been a tough time which has been hard on me and my family.’
Social media users have been among those expressing backing for him – while raising concerns that the outcome could embolden other youngsters with weapons.
Sara Louise posted on social media: ‘What message does this send out to all the youngsters who do already or will now carry knives?
‘They know they are untouchable if an officer challenges them. What message does this send out to any officer faced in a similar situation. Is it worth the challenge?
‘Welcome to Dorset – a county where you can carry a knife but if an officer points their finger at you or calls you a nasty name they will lose their job/career. I’m appalled.’
Jo Holland wrote: ‘So a thug carrying a knife has been made into a victim and the officer protecting the public has been made into a criminal. And we wonder why society is going the way it is. Disgraceful decision.’
Ray Venner posted: ‘This is a good honourable officer doing a fantastic job in a very difficult dangerous environment. Shameful, absolutely shameful.’
Fiona Lawrence posted: ‘Surely dismissing someone with such a good previous record and has saved lives on numerous occasions isn’t the correct judgement.’
Other comments have included ‘Travesty’, ‘He should be given a medal not the boot.’‘No wonder no one wants a career in the police – let’s protect the villains’.
