Manchester: Taser and restraint 'contributed' to death of Jordon Begley

A man died partly as the result of being "inappropriately and unreasonably" Tasered, according to an inquest.

Jordon Begley died after being Tasered after an argument with neighbours on 10 July 2013.

His mother called the emergency services reporting he had a knife, leading to 11 police officers coming to Begley's home.

The 23-year-old was shot with the 50,000 volt stun gun from a distance of 70cm.

He was also hit with "distraction strikes" while being restrained and handcuffed by three armed officers.

The jury at Manchester Civil Courts of Justice heard that the Taser shock did not make his heart stop, according to a BBC report. Rather, the Taser and the restraint "more than materially contributed to a "package" of stressful factors which led to Begley's cardiac arrest.

Another factor was Begley's intoxicated state at the time of the altercation with police.

PC Terence Donnelly, the officer who pulled the Taser trigger was found to have "inappropriately and unreasonably" used the stun gun for longer than was necessary.

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 jury's verdict read: "Once on the floor the firearms officers did not try to establish whether he was conscious, ignored the fact that he did not cry out or make any verbal sounds at all.

"During restraint Jordon offered minimal resistance - there was no need to punch twice without even checking his first response to the first punch. No firearms officer took control of the head.

"On the balance of probabilities Jordon was left too long face down once handcuffed, they were more concerned about their own safety than that of Jordon", the jury concluded in a Manchester News report.

His mother Dorothy Begley said: "After two years of fighting everybody, fighting the system, Jordon's day has come. That is all I ever wanted. The last two years have been hell."

"Someone has got to say sorry, they've got to. That's what we want."