Benjamin Monk, a West Mercia police constable, was sentenced to eight years in prison for the murder of Dalian Atkinson. PC Monk was cleared for murder but convicted for manslaughter. Jurors were told that Monk left two bootlace marks on Atkinson's forehead.Pc Benjamin Monk was sentenced to eight year imprisonmentEight years has been served for a police officer who unlawfully murdered Dalian Atkinson. He tasered him to the ground, kicked him in the head, and then beat him.After jurors heard that PC Benjamin Monk had left two bootlace marks on former Premier League star, PC Benjamin Monk was convicted of manslaughter. This was after he used a 33-second Taser to deploy an "excessive", 33-second Taser.Monk was convicted of six weeks of fraud at Birmingham Crown Court. He claimed to have struck a single strike at the victim's shoulder during Monk's trial.After suffering from a mental illness, Mr Atkinson had broken a window and died at the hospital about an hour later. An ambulance was dispatched to the scene in Meadow Close, Telford on August 15, 2016.According to Inquest charity, Monk was the first officer of police in England or Wales to be found guilty in England and Wales of unlawful killing following a death in custody.Monk denied murder and manslaughter and claimed that he acted in reasonable self defense while being "terrified" by Mr Atkinson, 48, who was suffering from a heart condition and was smaller than the officer.However, images of two distinct areas of head injury that were accepted to match Monk’s bootlaces were revealed by forensic examinations with polarised lighting. This proved Monk's account was false.A pathologist discovered 15 areas of "under the skin" bruising in Mr Atkinson's forehead. These included marks on his neck, shoulder and shoulder blades, flank, buttocks, elbow, elbow, and shin.Monk was found guilty of gross misconduct in the killing of Mr Atkinson five years ago. He had failed to mention two cautions when he applied to join West Mercia's force in 2001.He was told by the court that he retained his job in February 2011, a year after details about the cautions were revealed. This was despite having been found to have violated standards of honesty and integrity.Alexandra Healy, QC, the prosecutor, addressed the court Monday. She stated: "Mr Monk was cautioned about theft from a store as an employee - at that time he was employed by Woolworths in 1997."There was an additional caution in 1999 about being drunk."According to court records, the court was informed that the warnings weren't recorded on a computer system due to policies in place at the time for handling spent cautions.West Mercia Assistant Chief Constabulary Rachel Jones, reacting to the verdict against Monk last Wednesday, said that she was "sincerely sorry" for the incident and offered her "deep condolences" Mr Atkinson's loved ones, who had "demonstrated tremendous dignity and strength throughout".She said that the force still had "much work to do" in strengthening the bonds it formed with the communities it served.
