Sunday Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Apology means nothing unless police change
Villa star’s lover wants review of custody deaths
THE girlfriend of a football star killed by a policeman has called for a review of all deaths in custody.
Karen Wright spoke out after receiving an apology from a chief constable over the manslaughter of ex-Aston Villa striker Dalian Atkinson – six months after the PC was jailed.
Benjamin Monk got eight years. He had kicked 48-yearold Atkinson’s head “like a football” after tasering him.
Karin, 49, said: “It’s easy to say sorry and this apology will mean nothing if police don’t change how they deal with people, particularly black men.
“Monk was the first officer in 35 years to be convicted after a death at police hands. It was only because of pressure on the force he ended up in the dock.
“It shows until now the uniform has given them immunity from the law.”
“If police want people to think they have changed they should review all cases where they have caused deaths to see if charges should be brought.”
Dalian, who also played for Sheffield Wednesday and Ipswich, was kicked in the head at least twice by Monk, 43, while having a breakdown near his childhood home in Telford, Shrops, in August 2016.
Birmingham crown court heard the PC had been allowed to stay in West Mercia Police in
2011 despite being found guilty of gross misconduct – he had failed to reveal theft and drinking offences when he applied for the job in 2001.
New chief constable Pippa
Mills said in the letter: “A police uniform does not grant officers immunity to behave unlawfully or abuse their powers. Ben Monk’s conduct was in direct contradiction to the standards of the policing service.
“I am deeply sorry for the devastating impact the actions of a West Mercia officer has caused you.” Justice charity
Inquest says 183 people who died in police custody, or through contact with officers, from January 1990 to March 2020 were of ethnic minorities.
Karen said: “The trial told us that Monk was a very typical officer but faced with an unarmed black man, he responded with such brutal unprovoked aggression it cost
Dalian his life. In Dalian’s case the police have been found out but there are a lot of other families who have lost their loved ones to police actions and been denied any justice for decades.
“If the police have changed then they will now start working with those families and trying to get them justice.”