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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
World
Michael Howie

Dalian Atkinson: PC cleared of assaulting retired Aston Villa player prior to his death

Dalian Atkinson Aston Villa Mary Ellen BettleySmith Birmingham Crown Court

Pc Mary Ellen Bettley-Smith (Matthew Cooper/PA)

(Picture: PA Wire)

A police constable has been cleared of assaulting ex-Aston Villa star Dalian Atkinson, after telling jurors she struck him with a baton as a last resort.

Pc Mary Ellen Bettley-Smith was acquitted after jurors rejected prosecution claims that she “lashed out” in anger at Mr Atkinson before his death in Telford, Shropshire, in the early hours of August 15, 2016.

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