A police force in western England formally apologised Monday to the family of ex-Premier League footballer Dalian Atkinson, six months after one of its officers was jailed over his death.
Atkinson, 48, died in hospital in 2016 about an hour after policeman Benjamin Monk discharged his Taser at him three times — including once for 33 seconds — and kicked him twice in the head.
Monk was sentenced in June to eight years in prison for causing the death of the former Aston Villa star, with a judge saying jail time was necessary to maintain public confidence in the police.
Pippa Mills, who took over as head of West Mercia Police in September, wrote to Atkinson’s family to say she was “deeply sorry for the devastating impact” of Monk’s conduct.