Verdict time is looming for jury
JURORS in the trial of a cop accused of murdering Dalian Atkinson are likely to retire to consider their verdicts today.
Pc Benjamin Monk denies murder and an alternative charge of manslaughter in connection with the ex-footballer’s death in Telford, Shrops, in August 2016.
The 43-year-old’s colleague and former girlfriend, Pc Mary Ellen Bettley-smith, denies assaulting the former Aston Villa, Sheffield Wednesday and Ipswich Town star.
Monk and Bettley-smith told the jury they believed 48-year-old Atkinson was trying to get back to his feet and still posed a threat to them and others.
Prosecutors claim Monk used unlawful and unreasonable force out of anger, prior to the death of Atkinson, who suffered a cardiorespiratory arrest.
Judge Melbourne Inman QC, sitting at Birmingham Crown Court, began to summarise the evidence for the 11-strong jury yesterday.