A police offer has been found guilty of manslaughter over the tragic death of former Aston Villa forward Dalian Atkinson in 2016.
PC Benjamin Monk of the West Mercia police force was cleared of murder but convicted of manslaughter after he tasered Atkinson for 33 seconds, far longer than a normal cycle, and kicked the retired footballer twice in the head.
Police had originally been called to the scene to intervene and subdue an aggressive Atkinson, who was later described by his brother as being in a ‘manic state’ and ‘depressed’, during an altercation in which he was alleged to be threatening to kill his father.
Usual protocol for tasering is just five seconds, meaning that Atkinson, only 48 at the time of his death, was exposed to more than six times the normal cycle. He later suffered cardiac arrest in an ambulance en-route to hospital and was pronounced dead in the early hours of 15 August 2016.
The Guardian writes that PC Monk was accused of lying in court about his account of events and is the first officer convicted of manslaughter while on duty in more than 30 years.
Atkinson spent time at Ipswich, Sheffield Wednesday, Aston Villa, Real Sociedad and Fenerbahce, among others, during a 16-year professional career. He is perhaps most famous for scoring a sublime solo effort for Villa against Wimbledon in October 1992 in the inaugural Premier League campaign, which was later named Match of the Day’s goal of the season.
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Source: 90min
