Dalian Atkinson: PC's fear 'through the roof' during arrest

Dalian Atkinson played for Aston Villa, Ipswich Town and Sheffield Wednesday during his career

A police officer charged with murder said his "fear was through the roof" when he Tasered an ex-footballer.

PC Benjamin Monk, 43, is on trial at Birmingham Crown Court charged with the murder of Dalian Atkinson in 2016.

As his defence begins, he told jurors he thought he and co-accused PC Mary Ellen Bettley-Smith "were going to die" when they responded to a callout to Mr Atkinson's father's home in Telford.

The former Aston Villa star died after the stand-off on 15 August that year.

The West Mercia Police officers were called to the address on Meadow Close at about 01:30 BST following reports from neighbours Mr Atkinson was acting strangely and claiming to be the Messiah.

PC Monk told the court the former striker was erratic, unpredictable, terrifying and that he ignored his warnings to stop when the officer pointed his Taser.

Twice PC Monk deployed his Taser unsuccessfully, telling jurors: "My fear was going through the roof.

"It was the second time [the] device failed. I thought we were done for."

PC Benjamin Monk gave evidence at Birmingham Crown Court

Asked what he did next, he said: "Ran for my life, we ran away," adding he had never done that before in his 14-year career.

"He [Mr Atkinson] was very, very scary," he said. "And the device which I thought might work for me, hadn't worked and I was terrified."

The court previously heard how Mr Atkinson pursued the officers down the driveway before smashing a pane of glass in his father's front door.

PC Monk said he and PC Bettley-Smith, with whom he was in a relationship at the time, "had to protect the man inside the house" and aimed his Taser at the footballer for the third time.

On the third Taser discharge, PC Monk overrode the system, holding down the trigger for 33 seconds - more than six times the standard deployment.

The officer, who had never previously fired the device, said he had no idea how long he fired his Taser for, but he felt "big relief" when Mr Atkinson fell to the ground.

PC Monk said he thought the sportsman, who also played for Ipswich Town and Sheffield Wednesday, was trying to get up, so he kicked him.

Dalian Atkinson had a number of underlying health conditions including heart disease and kidney failure

The court heard previously that PC Monk kicked Mr Atkinson in the head at least twice while he lay on the ground, with sufficient force to leave imprints of his bootlaces.

But the officer said in an interview at the time he believed he had kicked the 48-year-old "in the shoulder".

However, he had told colleagues at the scene in the immediate aftermath, "I had to kick him in the head".

Asked by his barrister, Patrick Gibbs QC, why there was a difference in his account, PC Monk replied: "I think it was influenced by wishing things could have been different - wishful thinking."

The officer said: "There wasn't an intention to kick him anywhere, it was an instinctive act, a desperate, instinctive act because this was the last thing I had.

"I believe, in my interview, I said my intention was to kick him in the shoulder but it's more realistic to say that it was instinctive."

PC Monk stated he "thought if he's going to get up, we were going to die."

Dalian Atkinson died aged 48 on 15 August 2016

The officer said the force he used to kick the former sportsman as he lay on the ground was "about a four" out of 10 on a sliding scale.

He also said he "didn't want to hurt Mr Atkinson in any capacity" and that was why he was "confident my intention was not to kick him hard".

Mr Atkinson died in hospital just over an hour after the confrontation. When he heard the news, PC Monk said he was "devastated".

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Asked if he felt his actions were reasonable that night, he said: "In all the circumstances, with everything I faced, I am confident my actions were reasonable, they were necessary and I just did the best I could."

PC Monk also denies an alternative manslaughter charge and his co-accused, PC Bettley-Smith, 31, denies assault occasioning actual bodily harm.

The trial continues.