A police officer has been cleared of assaulting former footballer Dalian Atkinson before he died.
PC Mary Ellen Bettley-Smith had been facing a retrial at Birmingham Crown Court over an allegation she struck the former Aston Villa, Sheffield Wednesday and Ipswich Town star prior to his death in Telford in 2016.
The jury deliberated for three hours and two minutes before acquitting the officer, who struck Mr Atkinson three times with a baton after he was tasered to the ground by PC Benjamin Monk, who was jailed last year for manslaughter.
Jurors were unable to reach a verdict on the assault charge at the officer’s original trial last year, but convicted Monk.
The 43-year-old was jailed for eight years in July 2021 after forensic evidence proved he had kicked Mr Atkinson at least twice in the head, after tasering him to the ground.
Ms Bettley-Smith and Monk, who were in a relationship at the time, had been sent to the scene to restrain Mr Atkinson after his mental state became disturbed, probably due to a build-up of toxins linked to renal failure.
Prosecutors alleged Ms Bettley-Smith lost her cool and “pummelled” a “defenceless” Mr Atkinson with a baton, causing actual bodily harm which they accepted did not contribute to his death.
More on Shropshire
Related Topics:
The retired footballer lost consciousness shortly after being tasered near his childhood home in Meadow Close, Trench, and died in hospital about an hour later.
In her evidence to the court, Ms Bettley-Smith said she had used the baton because she perceived Mr Atkinson still posed a threat of “serious harm” after he was tasered for a third time.
Advertisement
Ms Bettley-Smith told her trial she was left “shaking from head to toe” and was sure she would have come to serious harm if Mr Atkinson had managed to get to his feet.
The 32-year-old told the jury she had used her baton lawfully as a last resort as she desperately tried to control Mr Atkinson, who she said was “actively resisting and trying to get up”.
Ms Bettley-Smith, a social work graduate, said that being told of Mr Atkinson’s death had left her feeling overwhelmed and that the feelings had not got any easier during the past six years.
Scotland’s First Minister Humza Yousaf claims a Holyrood election could be called as he refuses to say if he will resign if he loses a looming vote of no confidence.
Speaking exclusively to Sky News in Fife on Saturday, the SNP leader said it was “really disappointing” to learn the Greens will refuse to enter further talks to change their minds on voting against him in a ballot which could prove fatal for his leadership.
Mr Yousaf has today written to all the opposition parties, including Alex Salmond’s Alba party, at Holyrood urging them to rethink their plot to oust him.
The SNP leader said on Saturday that he was leaving it to his rivals to determine his fate.
A Green Party source said the only letter they will accept from the first minister is his resignation.
Mr Yousaf told Sky News: “Well let me say again, that would be really disappointing if that is the Greens’ position.
“As I say, I’ve reached out to them, they are saying publicly that they’re going to support a Conservative motion against independence, first minister and independence government.
More on Humza Yousaf
Related Topics:
“That would be, I think, a poor choice to make.”
Asked if there might be a Scottish election if he doesn’t win the vote, Mr Yousaf replied: “Can’t rule it out.”
Sky News understands Alba is holding an emergency meeting this weekend to determine how it will cast the key vote.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
2:22
Yousaf to ‘fight’ no confidence vote
When asked how SNP members would feel about being “propped up” by Mr Salmond, Mr Yousaf said: “Let me make it really, really clear, I’ll be sending out to anybody I meet with, whoever comes round that table, that these are the priorities of the SNP minority government.
“This is what we’ll be pursuing, this is what we’ll be pushing. It’ll then be up to be it Ash Regan, be it Lorna Slater, be it Patrick Harvie or any of them, to decide what button they push when it comes to the vote of no confidence.”
A Jewish campaign group has cancelled today’s Walk Together demonstration amid safety concerns, as the Met Police says the risk of disorder from a pro-Palestinian march is not high enough to seek a ban.
Thousands had been expected to attend the event in central London as part of the Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA) event, which would have coincided with today’s pro-Palestinian march.
The CAA said it cancelled the event, where people would have walked “where they please”, after receiving “numerous threats” and identifying “hostile actors (who) seem to have intended to come to any meeting locations that we announced”.
It added: “The risk to the safety of those who wished to walk openly as Jews in London… as part of this initiative has therefore become too great.
“We are no less angry about these marches than our Jewish community and its allies. We want to walk.”
The CAA said it had suggested “concrete measures” to government aimed at changing how the pro-Palestinian protests are policed.
It highlighted concerns over antisemitic chants, inflammatory placards, and instances of glorifying terrorism, as well as incidents of violence, including attacks on police officers.
More on Israel-hamas War
Related Topics:
“Police have told us that they intend to handle the march no differently from the passive way that they have become accustomed to over the course of more than six months,” the group added.
But the Met’s assistant commissioner, Matt Twist, said the force aimed to police “without fear or favour”, adding that the impact of the weekly pro-Palestinian protests was “felt widely” but had been a “particular cause of fear and uncertainty in Jewish communities”.
Advertisement
Mr Twist added that pro-Palestinian protests had “never” reached the threshold where it was a “risk of serious public disorder”.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
13:02
Extended video of ‘openly Jewish’ row
He said: “The only legal route to ban a march is if there is a risk of serious public disorder – that is rioting or serious violence that could not be dealt with by other restrictions or conditions.
“We have never got close to that threshold on these Palestinian Solidarity Campaign (PSC) marches to date.”
The CAA had announced its Walk Together after its chief executive, Gideon Falter, was prevented from crossing a road near a pro-Palestinian protest by a police officer last week because he was “openly Jewish”.
Footage showed a tense, lengthy stand-off between police and Mr Falter as one Met officer described his presence as “antagonising”.
The campaigner then spoke to another officer who said if he remained in the area, he would be arrested.
After the incident, Mr Falter was critical of the Metand said there were “no-go zones for Jews”, while Scotland Yard apologised twice for the officer’s choice of words.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
0:39
Standoff between protesters in London
The PSC protest today, which organisers claim could attract “hundreds of thousands” of protesters, will take place on a pre-agreed route.
Simultaneously, a separate demonstration arranged by the pro-Israel Enough is Enough group will go ahead following a route parallel to the PSC march.
The Met Police said 450 arrests have been made since the pro-Palestinian marches began, with 193 of those being for antisemitic offences, the majority involving placards, chanting or expressions of hate speech.
The cost of policing the protests stands at approximately £38.5m, the Met added.
The King’s constitutional work has continued, but the public outings were stopped.
His family has stepped up to support him, and protocols were in place should the need arise.
But it has been an incredibly challenging time for the House of Windsor.
News of the Princess of Wales’s cancer diagnosis a double blow for the family.
There remains a lot of uncertainty; the King won’t return to full duties, and his engagements will be adapted to reduce the risk while he recovers. There’s also no confirmation yet about the big set piece events like Trooping the Colour or an overseas state visit.
But this is a significant moment. And the King’s return to public work will start with a personally poignant visit, as he and the Queen meet patients and staff at a cancer treatment centre.