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| Jordon Begley inquest: Taser and restraint 'contributed' to death | Jordon Begley inquest: Taser and restraint 'contributed' to death |
| (34 minutes later) | |
| An unarmed man died partly as a result of being "inappropriately and unreasonably" Tasered and restrained by police officers, an inquest has found. | |
| Jordon Begley, 23, died in hospital after being Tasered in Gorton following a row with neighbours on 10 July 2013. | Jordon Begley, 23, died in hospital after being Tasered in Gorton following a row with neighbours on 10 July 2013. |
| Eleven officers attended Mr Begley's home after his mother called 999 to report he had a knife. | Eleven officers attended Mr Begley's home after his mother called 999 to report he had a knife. |
| The inquest jury delivered a narrative verdict after a five-week hearing at Manchester Civil Courts of Justice. | |
| 'Package of stress' | |
| Jordon Begley was shot with the 50,000 volt stun gun from a distance of 70cm. | |
| He was hit with "distraction strikes" while being restrained and handcuffed by three armed officers from Greater Manchester Police (GMP), the inquest was told. | |
| While the initial Taser shock did not cause his heart to stop, the jury concluded that the use of the Taser and the restraint "more than materially contributed" to a "package" of stressful factors leading to Mr Begley's cardiac arrest. | |
| Another factor, they concluded, was Mr Begley's intoxication at the time of the incident and confrontation with police. | |
| In damning conclusions, the jury said the officer who pulled the Taser trigger, PC Terence Donnelly, "inappropriately and unreasonably" used the stun gun for longer than was necessary. | |
| 'Minimal resistance' | |
| The jury said PC Donnelly pulled the trigger for eight seconds which was "not reasonable in the circumstances". | |
| After Mr Begley struggled and was restrained by armed police they were "more concerned with their own welfare than his," they added. | |
| The 23-year-old factory worker offered "minimal resistance" and there was "no need" for one officer to punch him a second time in a "distraction strike" as they handcuffed him, the inquest heard. | |
| The ruling concluded he was also left too long face down with his hands cuffed behind his back. | |
| His mother, Dorothy Begley, 47, who gave evidence during the inquest, left the courtroom in tears as the jury's conclusions were read out. | |
| Since the introduction of Tasers in 2003, Home Office figures show its use has increased by more than 200%, with one in 10 officers now armed with a Taser and more than 10,000 Taser incidents in England and Wales in 2013. |