Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Independent UK
The Independent UK
National
Richard Vernalls

Atkinson family ‘disappointed’ as officer keeps job despite ‘unlawful’ actions

Dalian Atkinson Mary Ellen BettleySmith Smith Police Alex Murray West Mercia Police IOPC
PA Archive

The family of Dalian Atkinson have reacted with “disappointment” after a police officer found guilty of having unlawfully batoned the ex-Aston Villa striker kept her job following a disciplinary hearing.

An independent tribunal in Telford, Shropshire, found on Friday that Mary Ellen Bettley-Smith, a West Mercia Police officer, acted wrongly when she struck Dalian Atkinson three times with her police-issue baton during an incident in the early hours of August 15 2016, after which the ex-sportsman died.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
UT Austin student heads for a ‘free matcha’ sign near campus. Then she sees whose building it is and covers her mouth
She nearly went in.
We Got This Covered
We Got This Covered
A$AP Rocky Makes Cheeky Rihanna Confession After Son Riot Joins Him on Stage
A$AP Rocky said his three-year-old son Riot 'stole' a moment during the rapper's Copenhagen tour performance, after Rihanna brought the toddler on stage at the Royal Arena.
International Business Times UK
International Business Times UK
For centuries, bird migration was a mystery – a tech revolution is changing that, and could help save these amazing creatures
For more than 2,000 years, scientists have scratched their heads over one of the most basic mysteries of the natural world: Where do birds go?
The Conversation
The Conversation
The Elizabeth Holmes Documentary You Can See Everything Is an Act of Radical Empathy
The high-concept documentary from Nathan Fielder and Lance Oppenheim offers surprising generosity to a Big Tech villain without fully excusing her crimes.
Reason
Reason
Women just want to work out in peace. Why all the thigh-rubbing lechery?
On Saturday Night Live last week, comedian Shane Gillis made a pathetic ‘joke’ about the clothes women wear to the gym. It was puerile – but also pernicious, writes Emma Beddington
The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
‘He’s terrified, panicked, can’t sleep’: the tragic, lonely death of Beatles manager Brian Epstein
Spandau Ballet’s Gary Kemp paid £10k at auction for Epstein’s address book. He then used it to co-author a thrilling account of the swinging 60s – and an intimate portrait of a tormented man whose life was unravelling
The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.
Download on the AppStore Get it on Google Play