Police officer fired after punching suspect

A police officer previously honoured for saving lives has been sacked after punching a suspect he had threatened with a Taser and using abusive language.

PC Cory Kattenhorn, of Hertfordshire Police, was found to have committed gross misconduct in a hearing concluded on 27 September.

At 22:14 BST on 5 April 2023 a group suspected of stealing catalytic converters had been involved in a police pursuit near Hemel Hempstead before trying to flee on foot near a canal.

Kattenhorn chased one of the men, described in the hearing as an Irish traveller, and upon finding him sat with his arms up and palms open began to use "unnecessarily aggressive" language and threaten him with a Taser.

The panel said the suspect had been punched twice in the head, causing him to bleed while the officer continued to swear and verbally assault him.

Later that same month, on 26 April, he was recognised by the Royal Humane Society for assisting to save a man's life in September 2022.

It was the second time he was awarded by the charity, he had received another in January 2022 for helping to save another man's life in February 2021.

After arresting the man, Kattenhorn compared the suspects to dogs and said it was a shame they "didn’t go into the river".

It was concluded by the hearing that the officer might not have known the man was an Irish traveller and he could have instead be referring to the suspects of theft in general.

After the incident, Kattenhorn marked his body worn footage as "non-evidential" so it was liable to be deleted earlier than if it been marked "evidential".

Sgt Adrian Murphy, who later reviewed the body-worn video footage captured of the incident, told the panel: "I do not think I have seen a worse case of red mist in my 26 years’ service.”

Kattenhorn had resigned from the force on 13 September and provided a written account of the incident to the hearing.

He explained he had heard in intelligence briefings that an organised criminal gang had been involved in the theft of catalytic converters and they were described as "extremely violent and dangerous".

According to Kattenhorn, the group of suspects had crashed after a high speed car chase on the A421 and then escaped on foot.

He heard one member of the group was wielding a knife and believed other members of the group could also be armed.

He thought it necessary to "achieve vocal dominance" by shouting and swearing to gain control.

Although he admitted he had shouted "police officer, Taser" and was in possession of one he did not consider using it as they were near a canal.

He claimed the punch was actually administered to the man's upper back in an attempt to stop him resisting handcuffs.

The panel concluded, after reviewing the body-worn footage, that Kattenhorn had drawn his Taser too early and the circumstances did not justify its use.

It pointed out he was too far from the suspect for it to be effective and it was drawn while he was directly behind a colleague, which goes against training where it should only be drawn when faced with immediate threat.

Kattenhorn's use of language was deemed "inappropriate" and "gratuitous".

The panel said he was "acting aggressively" and did not attempt to deescalate the situation before resorting to the use of force.

It decided his use of force was "neither necessary, proportionate, or reasonable in all the circumstances."

Despite the panel acknowledging Kattenhorn had received awards and previously performed his duties to an expected standard it was concluded his behaviour could cause reputational damage to the force.

It also found there was "deliberate violence and a significant deviation from the instructions" despite the suspect not resisting arrest.

Kattenhorn was found to have breached the standards in respect of Use of Force, and Authority, Respect and Courtesy and Conduct.

Despite resigning shortly before the misconduct hearing, he was dismissed from the force without notice.

Follow Beds, Herts and Bucks news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.