back to article Cops taser Somerset chap's nether regions

A Somerset man pulled on suspicion of "driving a BMW without insurance"* ended up with a groinful of Taser after an officer accidentally discharged the electric law enforcer into his nether regions. According to the BBC, 49-year-old Peter Cox was going about his business in Bridgwater on 13 July, when he spotted a patrol car …

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  1. Tiny Iota
    Coat

    Will the cop get the sack?

    The police thought he was being teste

    It's too hot for a coat...

    1. lpopman
      Joke

      titular simile

      Yeah, what a cock up. Really bollocksed that up

  2. Velv
    Paris Hilton

    Accidental

    Score 1 point for Taser over handguns.

    The accidental discharge of a handgun could have had much more serious consequences (not that this isn't serious).

    Paris? - come on - electric gadgets. groin.

    1. Charlie

      Title

      And yet there have been numerous cases of the police wrongly Tasering people, but how many times do you hear of accidental shootings? Because the Taser is considered a 'safe' option it is being abused far more than handguns ever are.

      1. disgruntled yank

        Accidental shootings

        Perhaps in England they don't happen often. In the US there are plenty of cases. An Oakland policeman was convicted of involuntary manslaughter the other week in the case of a young man he shot; it is possible that the policeman thought he was holding his Taser, not his pistol. I can remember a young woman killed by an accidental discharge in the Washington suburbs in the 1990s--and remember it only because she was the second person killed by that police officer under dubious circumstances.

        1. Captain Thyratron

          Perhaps.

          Or, possibly, it happens plenty:

          http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1294974/Bungling-armed-police-fired-guns-accidentally-110-TIMES-3-years.html

          110 accidental gunshots (if an admittedly suspicious source is to be believed*) between less than seven thousand authorized firearms officers in three years is pretty bad, if you ask me.

          *Actual number may be closer to \sqrt{7655 \pi} e^{99i}.

    2. Captain Thyratron

      It's a weapon. Treat it with respect.

      Police who are trained to carry and use firearms tend not to whip them out for anything trivial, since shooting people is generally considered a big deal. Tasers, on the other hand, are not treated with the same respect as guns, which I guess is why some police see it fit to point them at people during traffic stops.

      As anybody knows who was introduced to firearm safety at any point in their lives, you should not point a weapon at somebody unless you are at least considering shooting them with it.

    3. Anonymous Coward
      Flame

      This country is on a slippery slope to a US style policing

      policy. Getting tasered is becoming all to common. Sadly, now our bobbies have "guns" (tasers) they are all to eager to pull them out at the slightest provocation. Coppers are being trained that a taser is the only option for a gobby prick.

      Which really does sound just like American police, only they will pull a proper real steel one on you and fire for the fucking laugh of it.

      After all, he WAS insured and suffered from a pretty serious medical disorder. Tell me this, was the copper in question a 20 year old straight out of training school?? All the qualifications but no fucking experience whatsoever..

      So, here we go.

      Oinker. According to our records, you arent insured.

      Victim, Yes i am insured, why arent you out catching proper nut jobs.

      Oinker. Dont take that tone with me you fucking member of the public you.. ZAP...

      What ever happened to the good old fashioned british copper with a degree of discretion and a firm but polite tone.

      PS, dear America, please piss off and take all thats crap with your culture back with you.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: This country is on a slippery slope to a US style policing

        Where does America come in to this? We have only ourselves to blame...

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Thumb Down

          America comes into this because:

          They were the first country to advocate taser use, they then performed tests that HAVE NOT been independently verified by anyone other than themselves.

          So, we, being the USA's lapdog have followed suit, simply because that grinning twat blair thought it was a good idea at the time. This is why our culture has been poisoned because we were all to eager to roll over and let the yanks tickles labours fucking bellies!!!

          Sadly, i doubt we will ever return to the "good old days" (erm, think back 15 years, aint that long!) where bobbies patrolled the streets, gun crime was an utter rarity and the coppers didnt need tooling up because there was far far less violent crime. Thugs have always been thugs and 2 coppers with 20 years experience can diffuse almost all situations and thugs with body locks, stern words and at most a pepper spray. But now, as i stated before, these junior little piglets are far to fucking trigger happy because thats how they are being trained. Suspect resists in any way and its the 3 word shout TASER TASER TASER.

      2. R.P.Charlie
        FAIL

        What ever happened to the good old fashioned british

        copper with a degree of discretion and a firm but polite tone?

        Gone down the drain with that good old fashioned British culture which has been replaced by that PC multiculty diversity stuff where nobody is responsible anymore for their behaviour.

  3. Dazed and Confused

    what a balls up

    I'll get my coat

  4. Pete 2 Silver badge

    How to tell who's telling the truth

    The only real indication of which of these conflicting versions is correct is whether the police car's video record "goes missing"

  5. Colin Miller

    recorded?

    According to most of the "Fuzz on Film" type programs, police cars' video cameras record continuously. If the police pulled into the drive after him, Peter should apply for a copy of the recording, before the camera is reported as faulty.

    1. TIMMEH

      No, no he shouldn't

      I really wouldn't suggest he do that because seeing him being abusive and intimidating toward a police officer probably won't help his compensation claim.

  6. Gene Poole
    Black Helicopters

    A title is no longer required

    To sum up:

    Owning a BMW = possessing an offensive weapon.

    Driving a BMW = aggressive behaviour.

    Asking a PC if there's a problem* = obstructing an officer in the execution of his duty.

    Shooting an invalid in the nuts with a Taser = an accident.

    *Normal response when we don't know what the cop wants.

    1. Richard Taylor 2
      Pirate

      To be fair

      Owning a BMW = possessing an offensive weapon. - urrr yup in my experience

      Driving a BMW = aggressive behaviour. - urr yup in my experience

  7. Kay Tie
    Thumb Down

    This has got to stop

    We don't want cops that pull tasers as a matter of routine. Our entire policing system rests on consent, and I don't consent to having an armed overlord caste roaming amongst us like cheetahs prowling through grazing gazelles.

    1. lglethal Silver badge
      Go

      As a rule ive never seen a cop pull a taser as routine...

      Lets try and look at this objectively.

      The guy was driving and saw a cop car behind him. (It doesnt mention whether the lights were flashing or not - but lets assume they were - i mean, why else would you pull over?).

      The guy pulls his car over and then jumps out.

      Now for a police officer, when you pull someone over they stay in their car, you walk up, you have your chat and everyone walks away happy (or as happy as the driver can be if he/she's just got a speeding ticket!)

      But in this case, the guy jumps out of the car straight away.

      For the police officer that means one of two things a) he's making a run for it (in which case your out of the cop car with weapon drawn as fast as possible to start chasing them) or b) the person is being aggressive or has something in their car they dont want you to see. Either way i would probably be pulling my taser here as well.

      It appears in this case that the guy got out to go to a friends house and after this became clear, the cop lowered the gun and was putting it away when it discharged. For me, i see no issues here.

      What i do have an issue with is the automatic police reply that the guy was acting "aggressively". Is it too difficult for the police to stand up and say "Look, the officer drew his Taser because by jumping out of the car as soon as he was pulled over, the officer thought the victim might be aggressive. As soon as this was identified as not being the case, the officer lowered his weapon which accidently discharged striking the gentleman. We're sorry it happened, but thats life."

      A bit of honesty like that might bring a bit of trust back to the cops, dont you think?

      1. lpopman
        Coat

        titular witicism

        I don't think his gentleman was struck, just his leg and foot..

        badum tish ;)

        Lpopman, available for weddings, parties and bar-mitzvahs...

      2. Annihilator
        Thumb Up

        @lglethal

        Not sure why you've got so many downvotes for that, the most logical walkthrough and conclusion I've seen so far.

        My only question tho (from the articles), how do you manage to "suspect" someone of driving without insurance, given it turns out he had adequate insurance?

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Coat

          I'm guessing

          Because A) there is no mention of the driver being hailed. And B) He had "pulled over at a friend's house, where he was doing landscaping work".

          RTFA buddy.

      3. Kay Tie

        Re: As a rule ive never seen a cop pull a taser as routine

        This is the kind of discussion that goes on in the USA, not Britain. I don't even want to get into "the officer was intimidated so he shot the suspect" nonsense. It's not up for debate. I want my country back the way it was, and that starts with tasers in the hands of trained firearms officers ONLY.

        1. http://www.theregister.co.uk
          Big Brother

          Armed Policing

          And I want my country back: No armed police unless a magistrate is present to control them.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      FAIL

      Absolutely Agree with the sentiment but...

      Who defines 'aggressive'? A landscape gardener dressed for outdoor work may be, in some eyes, a thug on the prowl. Equally, poor training or arrogance that leads the officer to reach for a weapon when a prole doesn't do as commanded, instantly, needs rebuke and re-education/training of the officer.

      The balance has shifted dramatically. Most people would, and I guess still do, defer to a police officer but when that doesn't happen polarised action take place because of the Soap Opera that passes for some peoples lives.

      I wonder who will pay the 'compensation'? Daft question really!

    3. Graham Wilson
      Unhappy

      @Kay Tie: Soon we'll be resorting to electrically conductive clothes for protection against tasers.

      Right, taser use seems to be getting out of hand. To me, too many instances of its use simply smells of abuse.

      Perhaps the next big selling item for the average citizen will be clothing that specifically protects against tasers. That's electrically conductive clothes which have metal interwoven within the threads etc. to short out the electric current.

      Even contemplating the idea means something's wrong with its administration.

  8. nichomach
    FAIL

    Don't let's lose sight of the real problem here...

    "...but narrowly missing his genitals".

    You can understand and forgive a negligent discharge but there's no excuse whatsoever for shoddy marksmanship.

  9. SuperTim

    Coppers....gotta love em!

    or ELSE!

  10. some vaguely opinionated bloke
    Go

    So much material...

    ... Cox... BMW drivers... Cox... nethers... Cox... accidental discharge... nethers...

    1. Jerome 0

      So much material...

      ...and so little in the way of results.

  11. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Hmmm - Trigger Happy?

    It's just as well the police don't carry guns in normal operational patrols isn't it.

    What's the penalty for "accidental discharge" in the Army and shouldn't it be similar for police?

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Coat

      accidental discharge

      > What's the penalty for "accidental discharge" in the Army

      A month on penicillin?

    2. Captain Thyratron

      Really?

      It is quite likely /because/ they do not carry guns (and were thus probably not trained to carry guns) that they do not show the proper respect for other point-and-click interfaces. A taser in the hands of somebody who doesn't know how to handle a gun is asking for trouble, because now he's got something almost as dangerous plus the silly idea that, if something goes wrong, it won't cause more than pain. Wouldn't it be better to get the idea in one's head that someone could die when you pull the trigger? Isn't that the less dangerous way of thinking?

    3. Anonymous Coward
      Flame

      Accidental Discharge?

      There is a good argument that there is no such thing as an "accidental discharge" of an offensive weapon, unless there is some kind of hardware problem.

      "Accidently" shooting someone in the gentleman's region with a Tazer is a "Neglegent Discharge", and the Peeler in question should be sacked.

      Naturally, he wont be.

      1. Graham Wilson
        Thumb Up

        ...as the establishment is invariably self-protecting.

        ...as the establishment is invariably self-protecting.

        Unfortunately, that's an intrinsic property of institutions, and it's why citizens need systems in place to have them routinely monitored and audited.

  12. My Opinion
    Joke

    What a balls-up...

    ...well, nearly!

  13. David David David David (formerly David 22)

    beemer owners

    Surely driving a BMW is an offence in itself

    1. Captain Thyratron

      It looks fast, so it must be speeding.

      The funny thing (for some values of funny) is that a lot of cops think just like you do. I will give an example of something that actually happened once.

      Suppose two cars are driving on a road whose posted speed limit is thirty-five miles per hour. One of them is driving at fifty miles per hour. Who gets busted and has to pay a fine to the city?

      The guy in the BMW who, while minding his own business and doing nothing wrong, got passed by someone who was driving at fifty miles per hour.

  14. thefutureboy
    Troll

    BMW

    There may not be specific laws covering BMWs but the drivers seem to have their own rules considering the use of indicators. So much so, for a long time, I was under the impression that indicators were an optional extra on BMWs.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: BMW

      >indicators were an optional extra on BMWs

      No, they are compulsory. They are hardwired to activate when the driver stops the car. In BMW literature they are known as the Park Anywhere Invisibility Shield or to you and me the Look At Me I'm A Tosspot indicators.

    2. Steve X

      optional extras

      Standard fitting is the 60mph speed limiter when in the centre lane of a motorway, and steering that prevents one from driving in the left-hand lane unless overtaking.

    3. Charley 1

      Re: BMW Indicators.

      Not the first time this has been posted, but I enjoyed it.

      http://www.grouchyoldcripple.com/archives/recall.gif

      Yes, I drive a BMW and have a sense of humour.

      1. Fred Flintstone Gold badge

        Sense of humour..

        "Yes, I drive a BMW and have a sense of humour."

        Yes, you must have a sense of humour to have chosen a BMW.

        Badum .. tischhh ..

  15. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Driving a BMW should be an offence in itself

    Plus he was shot in the groin and his name was Cox. Snigger.

  16. Anonymous Coward
    Joke

    BMW drivers.....

    They (BBC) put "driving a BMW without insurance" because the BBC are too politically correct to put "driving a BMW like a twat".

    5 gets you 10 the officer tazered him ("accidentally") for not using his indicator when pulling over....seems indicators are a totally foreign entity to BMW drivers

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      driving a BMW like a twat

      What other way is there?

  17. Anonymous Coward
    Terminator

    "but claim he acted aggressively."

    Oh BULL SHIT. You just attacked an unarmed man, striking him in an area that probably has caused him permanent disability. Not only this, but you attacked a man who had committed no offense in the first place - you had "suspected to be driving a vehicle without insurance", we know you can have this checked without stopping and harassing the user.

    Just the other night on that show where they follow the cops with camera they stopped some poor girl who had purchased a brand new expensive watch "they thought she had stolen". No she didn't

    THIS is why I have no respect for the law right now. Anon because, ah you know the rest.

  18. Elmer Phud

    "What's Your Name!"

    "Name!"

    "Cox"

    "Don't mess me about"

    "It's Cox"

    "Right sunshine, 'Cocks' it is then!"

  19. Lottie
    WTF?

    No excuse

    I thought Tazers were only to be used in extreme circumstances, y'know as a non lethal alternative to armed response. Is this officer saying that he is so poor at his job that instead of being able or bothered to use de-escalation techniques, he resorted to non lethal firearms as a first resort?

    And the police wonder why ACAB still has meaning.

    1. lpopman
      Coat

      titular title

      hehe, ACAB

      Another Current Applied to Balls?

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