A police officer has been found guilty of the murder of former Premier League footballer Dalian Atkinson.
Atkinson died in 2016 at the age of 48 after an officer shot him with a stun gun in the street where the former footballer grew up in Telford, Shropshire.
PC Benjamin Monk was convicted at Birmingham Crown Court on Wednesday after the court heard he stabbed Atkinson for 33 seconds and kicked him twice in the head.
The 43-year-old monk denied any wrongdoing and was acquitted by the jurors of the optional charge of murder.
The jury reached a unanimous verdict on Monk after 18 hours and 48 minutes after a three-week trial.
They are still considering an assault charge related to Monk's aide and ex-girlfriend, PC Mary Ellen Bateley-Smith.
The court heard that Monk discharged his teaser at Atkinson three times and that it was only successful on the third attempt, where he overrode the system, holding down the trigger for 33 seconds—six times longer than the standard deployment.
Atkinson was a top-flight striker in the 1990s and his solo effort for Aston Villa against Wimbledon was voted "goal of the season" during the 1992–93 Premier League campaign.
His contributions helped Villa finish second in the league that season, and he scored 25 goals in 87 league appearances for the club.
Atkinson also scored against Manchester United as Villa won the 1994 League Cup.
He also enjoyed Ipswich, Sheffield Wednesday, Real Sociedad, Fenerbahçe and Manchester City before ending his playing career in South Korea in 2001.