UK policeman on trial for ex-football player’s murder
Former Aston Villa striker Dalian Atkinson died after being tasered three times and kicked at least twice to the head by an “angry” police officer, a jury heard on Tuesday at the start of a murder trial.
Birmingham Crown Court in central England was told that West Mercia Police Constable Benjamin Monk denies the murder and manslaughter of Atkinson, who also played for Ipswich and Sheffield Wednesday.
Prosecutor Alexandra Healy alleged that Atkinson, who was 48, was tasered for 33 seconds – more than six times the standard five-second duration – in the incident in 2016.
She told the court that the footballer, who had serious health problems including end-stage renal failure, moved towards the officers after they were called to a disturbance in the town of Telford, 30 miles (50 kilometres) from Birmingham, at about 1:30am on August 15, 2016.
Healy said the third deployment of a Taser by Monk was “completely effective” and caused Atkinson neuro-muscular incapacitation before he fell forwards onto the road.
The lawyer told the jury: “The standard default setting of a Taser is a five-second phase, but it is possible to override that by continuing to depress the trigger.
“And PC Monk continued to depress the trigger for over six times the length of a standard five-second phase. The Taser was deployed for 33 seconds.”
She added: “PC Monk also proceeded to kick Dalian Atkinson.
“At least two kicks were delivered by him to Dalian Atkinson’s forehead with enough force to leave the imprints of the pattern of the laces from the top of his boot on two separate areas of Mr Atkinson’s forehead.”
Source: Aljazeera
