Birmingham Post

Officer who killed ex-Villa star jailed for 8 years

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THE police officer who killed Aston Villa hero Dalian Atkinson was told he had let himself and the West Mercia force down – as he was jailed for eight years.

Benjamin Monk will serve at least two-thirds of his sentence in custody before being considered for release after being found guilty of the manslaught­er of the 48-year-old retired footballer.

A jury convicted the 43-yearold constable after hearing he tasered Mr Atkinson for 33 seconds and kicked him in the head as he lay on the ground outside his father’s home in Meadow Close, Telford, in the early hours of Monday, August 15, 2016.

Passing sentence at Birmingham Crown Court, Judge Melbourne Inman QC told him: “The obvious aggravatin­g factor is that you committed this offence while on duty as a police officer.

“The police play a central and important role in upholding the rule of law in our society. The public entrust powers to the police which they expect to be used for the common good of society.

“It is not an easy job and the police have to go to dangerous situations. The sentence must reflect the importance of maintainin­g public confidence in our police. You have let yourself and the force down.

“Although they were difficult, you failed to act appropriat­ely in the circumstan­ces as they developed and you used a degree of force in delivering two kicks to the head which was excessive and which were a cause of Mr Atkinson’s death.”

The court heard Monk had been placed on a final written warning at West Mercia Police in 2011 for failing to disclose historic cautions he had received for theft while working at Woolworths and being found drunk at work.

Judge Inman declared the matters irrelevant and declared Monk of ‘previous good character’, adding his position as a police officer would make his time in prison ‘more difficult’.

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> Benjamin Monk

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