PC who hit Dalian Atkinson with a baton guilty of gross misconduct

Former striker Atkinson died after being kicked in the head at least twice by Westmercia police officer Benjamin Monk outside his father’s home in Shropshire.

Mary Ellen Bettley-Smith was a parole officer when she attended the Telford incident with Monk on August 15, 2016.

Monk had already tasered Mr Atkinson, 48, to the ground before repeatedly “stomping” on his head, with one witness describing one blow as “wild”.

Bettley-Smith, who is accused of assaulting Mr Atkinson, then hit the star six times with her baton.

Monk was sentenced to eight years in prison in 2021 after being convicted of manslaughter.

She was acquitted after a retrial in 2022.

But the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), a police watchdog, said there was a disciplinary case for gross misconduct.

A disciplinary panel today found her guilty, which means she faces immediate dismissal from West Mercia Police Force.

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