A police officer has been found guilty of the manslaughter former professional footballer Dalian Atkinson.
During an incident in August 2016, PC Benjamin Monk from the West Mercia force tasered Atkinson for 33 seconds, more than six times longer than the normal cycle, before kicking him twice in the head as he lay on the ground.
The 48-year-old former Aston Villa, Sheffield Wednesday and Ipswich Town striker suffered a cardiorespiratory arrest and later died in hospital following the incident near his father’s home in Telford, Shropshire.
After 18 hours of deliberating following a three-week trial, jurors at Birmingham Crown Court unanimously found Monk of manslaughter but cleared him of murder.
The jury is continuing to deliberate over an assault charge for Monk’s colleague, PC Mary Ellen Bettley-Smith.
[Image: PA]