Taser death probe is a whitewash, mother says

Jordon Begley was Tasered following a row with neighbours in 2013

The mother of a man who died after being Tasered by police says she is "so angry" no officers are facing charges.

Jordon Begley, 23, died after Greater Manchester Police (GMP) officers Tasered and restrained him in 2013.

A reinvestigation into his death has found one former officer may have breached standards, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said.

Mr Begley's mother Dorothy said the probe is "a whitewash" and "five years later, I'm still fighting for him".

GMP confirmed that of the six officers under investigation one has since left the force and five no longer have restrictions on their duties.

Dorothy Begley said: "I've never been this angry in my life"

Eleven officers were despatched to Mr Begley's home in July 2013 after his mother called 999 reporting he had a knife during a row with neighbours.

He was shot with the 50,000 volt Taser gun from a distance of 28in (70cm) and was hit with "distraction strikes" while being restrained and handcuffed by three armed officers, a 2015 inquest was told.

An original report by the police watchdog, then the IPCC, found no individual officer had a case to answer.

But the report findings were quashed by the High Court in 2016 at the request of the watchdog after it was found to be inconsistent with a subsequent inquest and a reinvestigation was launched.

"In the dark"

Deputy director general of the IOPC Ian Todd said he met Ms Begley on Thursday to update her on the completed reinvestigation.

"We examined the actions of six Greater Manchester Police officers and my view is that one former officer may have breached the professional standards of behaviour in relation to their use of force", he said.

One officer has since left the force and the other five are back on unrestricted duties, GMP confirmed.

Ms Begley said: "I've never been this angry in my life... where do I go from here? They kept us in the dark hoping that it will go away - it's not going to go away".

She said she was told five of the officers under investigation "declined to be re-interviewed" by the IOPC and added "that's really wrong".

As a result she has no trust in the IOPC which has "let me down twice now".

A GMP spokesperson said the force has received the IOPC report and "will now consider the investigation's recommendations before responding".

GMP Federation chairman Stu Berry welcomed the outcome of the investigation but criticised the length of time it had taken.

He said the IOPC "has to appreciate the impact these ridiculously long investigations have on police officers, their families and the communities we serve".

The IOPC is awaiting a response from GMP, which has been given the provisional findings, before publishing the report.