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A 90-year-old black woman was restrained with handcuffs in her home in Peckham, south-east London and had a spit hood placed over her head and a Taser pointed at her by the Metropolitan police.

As a result, she was reportedly left with cuts and bruises to her wrists and arms before she was taken to the hospital without being arrested. According to the Met officials, officers were called after reports of a disturbance between a woman and her caretaker. 

The incident is currently under investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), while one officer has been suspended and barred from using a Taser, and five others remain on restricted duties and on no contact with the public. 

A Met spokesperson said: “The Met officers attended and identified a 90-year-old lady, who was distressed. After officers attempted to engage with her, she was restrained using handcuffs and a spit hood applied after it was alleged one officer was spat at. The woman was then taken to hospital. She was not arrested," adding: “During the course of the incident, an officer issued a red-dot challenge with their Taser but did not discharge it.”

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A family member of the woman was allowed to watch footage of what happened from the officers’ body-worn video cameras.

'A number of questions' raised

DCS Seb Adjei-Addoh, who is in charge of policing in the borough of Southwark, stated: “There are limits to what I am able to say in relation to this incident given it is now subject to an IOPC investigation. However, it is clear that this will have been a distressing experience for the lady involved and that the circumstances raise a number of questions that need to be answered". 

“While I do not wish to pre-judge this process, officers know that they must be able to justify any use of force or restraint and we will expect that of the officers involved in this incident. They also know that we expect them to show compassion and to adjust their approach in real time according to the circumstances they are faced with", he added. 

An IOPC spokesperson confirmed that they have "received a public complaint concerning the level of force that was used and the injuries it is alleged the woman sustained, including cuts and bruising on both her wrists and one arm. We have been in touch with the woman’s family to explain our role.”

Earlier this year, hundreds of London police officers were likely to be fired for sexual and domestic abuse offenses, Britain's police chief said on January 17, as he fought to recover public faith after an officer admitted to being a serial rapist.

This comes a mere 10 days after a 95-year-old woman with dementia was tasered by police in New South Wales at a senior care facility and remains in the Cooma district hospital with a suspected fractured skull and "brain bleed".