Five police officers are being investigated after the tips of a man’s fingers were severed when they were trapped under a toilet seat.

The officers have been accused of gross misconduct after the incident involving a 33-year-old man being held in a cell at Colchester Police Station.

The man was found with his foot in the cell’s toilet bowl in the early hours of 1 May 2015.

Police tried to free him from the bowl but he grabbed the rim and as they attempted to restrain him, three of his fingers were chopped off at the tips.

The man, who was a foreign national with a mental illness, was taken to hospital but doctors were unable to reattach the severed parts of his digits.

Now, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) has announced proceedings against an inspector, three police constables and a temporary police sergeant.

IOPC regional director Sarah Green said: “We concluded that five officers have a case to answer for gross misconduct and Essex agreed. It will now be for an independent panel to consider the evidence and make its judgment.”

The case will begin on 7 May.

After the incident, Essex Police replaced all toilets with the same design.

One sergeant has already admitted misconduct over the case and was given a written warning. Another was ordered to receive management action.

No criminal charges have been brought over the incident.

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