Dalian Atkinson’s killer had kept his job despite gross misconduct
The police constable convicted of the manslaughter of Dalian Atkinson was found guilty of gross misconduct before he killed the football star, after failing to mention two cautions on his application to join the force.
Birmingham Crown Court was told Benjamin Monk kept his job with West Mercia Police in 2011 after being found to have breached required standards for honesty and integrity.
Convicted of manslaughter
A judge who is due to sentence Monk was told two cautions issued to him in 1997 and 1999 – for theft from a shop during a summer holiday job, and for being found drunk – were not disclosed on his application papers in 2001.
Monk was last week cleared of murder but convicted of manslaughter, after a trial heard he tasered Atkinson to the ground with a 33-second deployment of the weapon, and then kicked him twice in the head while he was on the ground.
Cautioned twice
The officer, who denied both charges, said he could only recall aiming one kick at Atkinson’s shoulder outside the former Aston Villa, Sheffield Wednesday and Ipswich Town star’s childhood home in Meadow Close, Telford, Shropshire, in August 2016.
Read on...
Support us and go ad-freeAddressing the court on Monday, prosecutor Alexandra Healy QC said:
Mr Monk was cautioned for theft from a shop as an employee – he was employed at the time at Woolworths in 1997.
There was a further caution in 1999 for being found drunk.
The court was told the warnings were not recorded on a computer system because of policies at the time for dealing with spent cautions.
Speaking before Monk was remanded in custody as sentence was adjourned until Tuesday, Healy added:
Support us and go ad-freeWhen he applied to join the police in 2001 he did not disclose the existence of those cautions.
We know everyone is suffering under the Tories - but the Canary is a vital weapon in our fight back, and we need your support
The Canary Workers’ Co-op knows life is hard. The Tories are waging a class war against us we’re all having to fight. But like trade unions and community organising, truly independent working-class media is a vital weapon in our armoury.
The Canary doesn’t have the budget of the corporate media. In fact, our income is over 1,000 times less than the Guardian’s. What we do have is a radical agenda that disrupts power and amplifies marginalised communities. But we can only do this with our readers’ support.
So please, help us continue to spread messages of resistance and hope. Even the smallest donation would mean the world to us.
-
Show Comments
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to leave a comment.Join the conversationPlease read our comment moderation policy here.
How many uniformed rapists and killers are on Britain’s streets one wonders? Here in Scotland during 2019 there were 92 sexual assaults and rapes committed by Police Scotland officers. From 2014 there are 324 officers accused of criminal acts and only one officer has been convicted of rape from eight years ago. This entirely down to the persistence and dogged determination of the victim. Despite being paid by us they are not for us. So much for their oath.