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Post by Avinalaff on Jun 24, 2021 19:34:14 GMT
They need to be careful with those tasers.
Sad loss of life.
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Post by rugbytoffee on Jun 29, 2021 18:15:33 GMT
APOLICE officer who unlawfully killed Dalian Atkinson by tasering him to the ground and kicking him in the head was jailed for eight years today.
PC Benjamin Monk was cleared of murder but convicted of manslaughter after jurors heard that he left two bootlace imprints on the former Premier League star’s forehead following an “excessive” 33-second Taser deployment.
Monk was told that he was “not honest” after he claimed to have aimed a single kick at the victim’s shoulder.
Mr Atkinson, who had smashed a window while suffering a mental health crisis, died in hospital around an hour after an ambulance was called to the scene near his father’s home in Meadow Close, Telford, Shropshire, on August 15 2016.
According to the charity Inquest, Mr Monk is the first police officer in England and Wales to be found guilty of unlawful killing over a death in custody or following police contact since 1986.
Passing sentence on Mr Monk, 43, at Birmingham Crown Court, Judge Melbourne Inman QC said: “You have let yourself and the force down.
“The police play a central and important role in upholding the rule of law in our society.
“The sentence must reflect the importance of maintaining public confidence in our police.”
Mr Monk, who the judge accepted had shown genuine remorse, was ordered to serve two-thirds of his eight-year sentence before being entitled to release on licence.
A statement from Mr Atkinson’s family said: “PC Monk used horrendous violence against Dalian, who was in an extremely vulnerable position in mental health crisis and needed help.
“This was a callous attack and a terrible abuse of a police officer’s position of trust.
“We pay tribute to all the bereaved families of black men who have died at the hands of the police and whose fight for justice has not led to successful prosecutions.
“It shouldn’t take the death of a famous footballer for the criminal justice system to work properly and we hope that more families can secure justice in future regardless of whether the deceased is a high-profile person.”
Inquest director Deborah Coles said: “This is the first manslaughter conviction of a police officer for over three decades.
“Police cannot be above the law, but for too long they have acted with impunity following deaths.”
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Post by rugbytoffee on Dec 26, 2021 19:35:05 GMT
Police have formally apologised to the family of the former footballer Dalian Atkinson after an officer who kicked and fired an electric stun gun at him was convicted over his death, the Guardian has learned.
In June PC Benjamin Monk, of the West Mercia force, became the first officer in more than three decades to be convicted of manslaughter during the course of his duties.
The jury heard that he fired a stun gun into Atkinson for 33 seconds – six times longer than is standard – and then kicked him twice in the head, leaving a boot imprint on his forehead and blood on the officer’s laces.
Police had been called in August 2016 to an early morning disturbance as Atkinson had a mental health crisis in the street outside his father’s house in Telford, Shropshire.
Some, including the Atkinson family, see the case as a British version of the US police killing of George Floyd. The family say the apology after five years was overdue.
A new chief constable, Pippa Mills, took over the West Mercia force in September. In her letter of apology, Mills wrote: “A police uniform does not grant officers immunity to behave unlawfully or to abuse their powers. Ben Monk’s conduct was in direct contradiction to the standards and behaviour of the policing service, and understandably undermined public confidence.”
The letter accepts that Monk used unreasonable force, with the kicks to Atkinson’s head contributing to his death. It also accepts that Atkinson’s right to life, protected under the European convention on human rights, was breached.
Mills acknowledged that the death was “devastating” for the family, and added: “I cannot imagine the immense pain you have felt and how the significant delays with the trial have also added to your burden of grief. You have demonstrated great strength and dignity throughout the past five years.”
The letter followed negotiations between the family’s lawyers and police solicitors, with one area of contention being compensation after the guilty verdict.
The chief constable pledged to learn lessons from the death, and ended by saying: “I am deeply sorry for the devastating impact the actions of a West Mercia officer has caused you and I extend my deepest condolences.”
The letter makes no mention of whether Monk should have been an officer at the time. During his sentencing, it emerged that Monk had been found guilty by a police discipline tribunal of gross misconduct in 2010, but had been allowed to stay in the force.
After his manslaughter conviction and eight-year jail sentence, Monk, 43, was dismissed from the force.
Kate Maynard, the solicitor for Atkinson’s family, said: “Over five years after Dalian Atkinson died of horrific injuries caused by a serving police officer, this official apology to the family is welcomed and overdue.
“The chief constable’s acknowledgment that a police uniform does not grant immunity is especially pertinent in a year that has seen other terrible examples of deadly police violence. It is hoped that this will serve as a deterrent, and also embolden those who seek police accountability.”
West Mercia police declined to comment.
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Post by rugbytoffee on Sept 12, 2022 5:51:10 GMT
The trial of a police officer accused of assaulting ex-Aston Villa, Sheffield Wednesday and Ipswich Town footballer Dalian Atkinson is set to begin.
Charges were brought against 31-year-old West Mercia Pc Mary Ellen Bettley-Smith after Mr Atkinson died following an incident in August 2016.
Prosecutors allege Bettley-Smith used unreasonable force in striking Mr Atkinson with a baton after he had been tasered by another officer near his childhood home in Meadow Close, Telford, Shropshire.
Mr Atkinson, 48, went into cardiorespiratory arrest and died around an hour later after being taken to hospital by ambulance.
House of the Dragon, season one, episode four recap: erotic adventures and a furious father At the time, West Mercia Police said officers were called amid concerns “for the safety of an individual”. Bettley-Smith, who is on bail, will face trial on a charge of assault occasioning actual bodily harm on Monday.
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Post by rugbytoffee on Sept 13, 2022 15:31:33 GMT
A police officer assaulted retired football star Dalian Atkinson with her baton after he had been tasered to the ground, a retrial has been told.
Mr Atkinson, who died after the incident, was "no longer a threat" when West Mercia Police PC Mary Ellen Bettley-Smith, 32, struck him several times, Birmingham Crown Court heard.
Former PC Benjamin Monk was convicted of manslaughter last year.
Ms Bettley-Smith denies an assault charge and claims she acted lawfully.
She says her actions were to protect herself and others.
The court was told a previous jury could not reach a decision in respect of a charge of assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
England B international Mr Atkinson, who retired in 2001 after playing for clubs including Aston Villa, Sheffield Wednesday, Ipswich Town and Spanish side Real Sociedad, died in hospital about an hour after being tasered. Opening the case, prosecutor Paul Jarvis said Mr Atkinson, who was 48 and had health problems including kidney failure, had been acting out of character and had smashed a window at his father's home in Meadow Close, Telford, Shropshire, in August 2016.
Mr Jarvis told the court the sportsman had been "a loving, and much-loved, son, brother, father, partner and friend to those who knew him best".
"He died in the early hours of the morning on Monday August 15 2016, after an encounter with police officers outside of his father's home address.
"Those officers were PC Benjamin Monk and PC Ellie Bettley-Smith."
The court was told Monk and Ms Bettley-Smith had been in a relationship at the time of the death.
Mr Jarvis said it was "entirely understandable" the officers would have been afraid for their safety because of Mr Atkinson's aggression towards them.
'Frightening experience' But the Crown alleges Ms Bettley-Smith acted unlawfully after Monk discharged a third Taser cartridge, causing Mr Atkinson to fall to the ground.
Mr Jarvis said it was not in dispute Ms Bettley-Smith used her police baton, but her account differed with those of witnesses.
"The prosecution accept that this must have been a frightening experience for a probationary officer in the position of Ellie Bettley-Smith.
"But once Dalian Atkinson was no longer a threat to the officers, the justification for that use of force against him evaporated, we say.
"It is likely that Ellie Bettley-Smith lashed out, perhaps in anger at the fact Dalian Atkinson had scared her so much, or perhaps because Benjamin Monk told her to because he was himself angry."
The blows, he said, "were delivered unlawfully by her".
Defending, KC Richard Smith said of Monk and Ms Bettley-Smith: "They were entitled, indeed had a duty in their uniform, to try and restrain him [Mr Atkinson] and protect themselves and others."
Monk, who kicked Mr Atkinson twice leaving impressions of his bootlaces on his victim's forehead, was convicted last year of his unlawful killing.
The trial was adjourned until Wednesday.
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