Just months before making an over-zealous arrest that led to his sacking, hero police officer Lorne Castle had thrown himself into the River Avon in the middle of the night.

A vulnerable elderly lady clinging to a tiny parcel of land needed his help so he stripped off his stab vest and threw himself into the icy water to save her in the line of duty.

PC Castle knew that the regulations were clear that he should not enter the river – but without much thought he went in carrying a life ring as her terrified family watched on.

‘Do you know what was going through my mind at that time? If I hit her with the ring, or she attempts to get it and gets dragged away I’m up for manslaughter because professional standards will tell me “you weren’t supposed to go in. You were trying to be a hero”‘, he said today.

‘That is the world we operate in’, he told the Telegraph.

However, despite the risk of his own arrest, he did it anyway and would later win a national bravery award for saving the woman.

Today his career is in ruins because of an incident in Bournemouth town centre on January 27 2024 – just four months after the river rescue that won him so many plaudits.

Former Dorset policeman Mr Castle was dismissed by the force after an independent disciplinary tribunal found he had committed gross misconduct in relation to the arrest in Bournemouth town centre on January 27 2024.

A video clip of the arrest, released by the force on Tuesday, shows the officer tackling the boy, who was later found to be carrying double-edged Stanley-style knife, to the ground.

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Former officer of Dorset Police, Lorne Castle, was dismissed by the force it was found he had committed gross misconduct in relation to the arrest in Bournemouth town centre

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A video clip of the incident, released by the force on Tuesday, shows the officer tackling the boy, who was later found to be carrying double-edged Stanley-style knife, to the ground before taking hold of the teenager’s face and throat while repeatedly swearing and shouting at him

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Mr Castle, who previously received a bravery award from the Humane Society, said he had received thousands of messages of support but felt that people were questioning his nature despite previously having ’10 years of exemplary service’

But after that, in a moment of anger, he is seen taking hold of the teenager’s face and throat while repeatedly swearing and shouting at him.

The boy can be heard shouting and crying ‘what have I done’ and ‘what did I do’ before the officer shouts ‘stop screaming like a little b****, do you understand that? Shut up’.

The ex-police constable had admitted misconduct in relation to breaching the standards of professional behaviour relating to authority, respect and courtesy, conduct and use of force, but denied gross misconduct.

Following the hearing, Dorset Police said he acted ‘inappropriately’ as he detained the teenager after receiving reports of two assaults in the seaside town.

It is understood that he intends to appeal the decision to sack him for gross misconduct.

The married father-of-two said: ‘I’ve got a phenomenal family and everyone knows that, but people are asking that question now “am I some sort of abuser?” because I attempted to arrest someone who was potentially violent.’

During the incident in question, the teenager also screams ‘my f****** neck, get off me, I don’t want you on me’, while Mr Castle is on top of him.

The officer later shouts ‘stop resisting or I’m gonna smash you, do you understand?’ and says the boy is being arrested on suspicion of assault.

The spokesman for the force said: ‘PC Castle was seen to use unnecessary and inappropriate words towards the boy and place both his hands on his throat.

‘The panel found that PC Castle failed to act with self-control, did not treat the boy with courtesy or respect.

‘His shouting, swearing, finger pointing, taking hold of the boy’s face and throat, and suggested use of leg restraints was not necessary, reasonable or proportionate.’

Speaking on LBC radio, Mr Castle said that the suspect, who had been wearing a mask, had been ‘an unknown risk’ and was found to be in possession of a knife during the arrest.

The 46-year-old said: ‘If I’d have known on those circumstances that he had a knife, that would have probably been a firearms incident.

‘The real danger is the unknown. We knew he was potentially violent, but we didn’t know how violent.

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The officer later shouts ‘stop resisting or I’m gonna smash you, do you understand?’ and says the boy is being arrested on suspicion of assault

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PC Lorne Castle (right) and current Chief Constable Amanda Pearson

‘Now, the risk for any police officer is the moment you go to detain someone, until you know you’ve got them safely detained.’

He added that it was a ‘scary situation’ because he was on the ground with the offender with other people nearby.

Mr Castle, who previously received a bravery award from the Humane Society, said he had received thousands of messages of support but felt that people were questioning his nature despite previously having ’10 years of exemplary service’.

In a statement, Dorset Police Federation criticised the force’s decision to release the footage, saying it had done so ‘without also providing context or balance’.

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Following the hearing, Dorset Police said he acted ‘inappropriately’ as he detained the teenager after receiving reports of two assaults in the seaside town

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Dorset’s Deputy Chief Constable Rachel Farrell said: ‘We are sharing body worn video to address concerns about misinformation and to reassure the public that, while tackling crime in Dorset, our officers will continue to be proactive and robust – but by using their powers proportionately and with respect’

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Meanwhile, a distinguished former police and crime commissioner of Dorset Police Martyn Underhill, pictured, said his former force has gone ‘woke’

‘Our view is that the showing of selective clips of an officer’s body-worn video is not a useful or responsible way to properly inform the public about an incident, and only serves to entice the public into making judgements without having the benefit of all the facts’, the body said.

Adding: ‘This is not fair or just. ‘

It added its members were still in limbo over how much force they should use in an arrest situation, and following PC Castle’s sacking, it called on force commanders to provide ‘urgent clarification’ to frontline officers on the issue of force.

But the federation said no such clarification has been forthcoming.

Meanwhile, a distinguished former police and crime commissioner of Dorset Police said his former force has gone ‘woke’.

Martyn Underhill said he found it ‘scary’ how Dorset Police behaved, calling it an ‘overreaction’.

He said that while he deserved to be interviewed and disciplined, they were wrong to dismiss the 46-year-old officer without notice for gross misconduct.

He also slammed their ‘questionable’ decision to release footage of the arrest and said he was one of the 2,500 people who have so far donated to a GoFundMe campaign.

A campaigner for frontline police officers said the force had ‘scored one of the biggest own goals ever’ by sacking PC Castle.

Dorset’s Deputy Chief Constable Rachel Farrell said: ‘We are sharing body worn video to address concerns about misinformation and to reassure the public that, while tackling crime in Dorset, our officers will continue to be proactive and robust – but by using their powers proportionately and with respect.’

The Home Secretary, Yvette Cooper, has been asked to intervene in the case and reinstate PC Castle.

A spokesperson for the Home Office declined to comment and said it was a matter for Dorset Police.