A policeman accused of murdering Dalian Atkinson told investigators he was “absolutely terrified” before firing a Taser at the former footballer, a court heard Thursday.
Police Constable Benjamin Monk also told a post-incident interview he could not remember when he had had taken his finger off the trigger in a 33-second tasering of the one-time Aston Villa star.
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Atkinson, who played for Villa in the 1990s, went into cardiac arrest and died aged 48 on August 15, 2016 in Telford, 30 miles (50 kilometres) from Birmingham after being Tasered near his father’s home.
Monk has denied charges of murder and manslaughter regarding the death of Atkinson, while PC Ellen Bettley-Smith has pleaded not guilty to assault after striking Atkinson with a baton.
Prosecutor Paul Jarvis, addressing a jury at Birmingham Crown Court, read out summaries and extracts from interviews with both officers conducted on August 26 2016.
– ‘Complete rage’ –
Monk, 42, recalling his emotions when he saw Atkinson step out from the house, said: “The bloke was towering above me, absolutely towering. His shoulders literally filled the frame of the door.
“The way he contorted his face literally for the entire incident… the contortion was one of complete and utter rage.”
Monk told police Atkinson had claimed he was “the Messiah” and could not even have been tasered with “100,000 volts”.
