Kate Maynard speaks out at culmination of prosecution of police in Dalian Atkinson case
30 Sep 2022
Civil Litigation partner Kate Maynard has spoken out to urge the CPS to place more faith in juries in police violence cases following the end of criminal proceedings against officers in the Dalian Atkinson matter.
Kate, who represents the family of Mr Atkinson, spoke after PC Mary Ellen Bettley-Smith was acquitted of assaulting Mr Atkinson. PC Benjamin Monk was last year convicted of manslaughter: the first conviction of police officer in the modern era for violence committed in the course of duty.
Kate said: “Sadly, it remains unusual for a jury to be given the chance to determine whether a police officer is guilty of unlawful violence in the course of their duty”.
She added: “The Crown Prosecution Service should have confidence in bringing more police officers to trial in relation to their use of force. As other recent high profile police deaths have shown, swift and robust accountability is essential for the public and bereaved families to have faith in the criminal justice system, including IOPC homicide investigations.“
