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| Dalian Atkinson: PC guilty of former footballer's manslaughter | Dalian Atkinson: PC guilty of former footballer's manslaughter |
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| Dalian Atkinson died aged 48 on 15 August 2016 | Dalian Atkinson died aged 48 on 15 August 2016 |
| A police officer has been found guilty of the manslaughter of ex-footballer Dalian Atkinson. | A police officer has been found guilty of the manslaughter of ex-footballer Dalian Atkinson. |
| The former Aston Villa striker died after a stand-off with West Mercia police officers outside his father's home in Telford, Shropshire in 2016. | |
| PC Benjamin Monk, 43, was cleared by jurors of an alternative charge of murder. | |
| A trial at Birmingham Crown Court heard Monk tasered Mr Atkinson for 33 seconds and kicked him twice in the head. | A trial at Birmingham Crown Court heard Monk tasered Mr Atkinson for 33 seconds and kicked him twice in the head. |
| He denied any wrongdoing and said he believed there was a danger to life for him and his colleague. | |
| PC Benjamin Monk was found guilty of the manslaughter of Mr Atkinson but cleared of his murder | PC Benjamin Monk was found guilty of the manslaughter of Mr Atkinson but cleared of his murder |
| Mr Atkinson began his career at Ipswich Town before moving to Sheffield Wednesday, Real Sociedad and Aston Villa. | Mr Atkinson began his career at Ipswich Town before moving to Sheffield Wednesday, Real Sociedad and Aston Villa. |
| Following a three-week-trial, jurors took 18 hours and 48 minutes to reach unanimous verdicts on Monk. | |
| They are still deliberating on an assault charge relating to Monk's colleague and former girlfriend, PC Mary Ellen Bettley-Smith, 31. | |
| Police were called to Meadow Close in Trench, Telford on 15 August, where Mr Atkinson was reported to have been acting erratically | |
| The trial heard how the pair were called to Mr Atkinson's father's house in Meadow Close on 15 August, where the the sportsman had been acting erratically. | |
| Monk told the court he ran in fear after Mr Atkinson, who appeared to be having a mental health crisis, made death threats and smashed a glass door pane. | |
| Latest news from the West Midlands | Latest news from the West Midlands |
| The trial heard Monk had discharged his Taser three times at Mr Atkinson, twice unsuccessfully, but on the third time he overrode the system, holding down the trigger for 33 seconds - more than six times the standard deployment. | |
| The striker famously scored the opener in Aston Villa's 1994 League Cup final win over Manchester United | |
| The officer claimed to have no recollection of placing his foot on Mr Atkinson's head as colleagues arrived at the scene. | |
| However he conceded he must have kicked the ex-footballer twice in the forehead, because bootlace prints proved he had, the officer maintained his actions were lawful self-defence, made necessary when the former Premier league star tried to get up. | |
| Mr Atkinson, who had a number of underlying health conditions, died later that morning in hospital. | |
| Follow BBC West Midlands on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: newsonline.westmidlands@bbc.co.uk | Follow BBC West Midlands on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Send your story ideas to: newsonline.westmidlands@bbc.co.uk |