PC Mary Ellen Bettley-Smith hit the ex-footballer in two sets of three baton strikes, a hearing is told.
PC Bettley-Smith's lawyer said of the events: "There's a huge difference between reading about it, and being there"
Mr Atkinson died after being tasered and kicked in the head by PC Bettley-Smith's West Mercia Police colleague, and romantic partner, PC Benjamin Monk, who was jailed for Mr Atkinson's manslaughter in 2021. With Mr Atkinson tasered and kicked by Monk, she struck the former Aston Villa, Ipswich Town and Sheffield Wednesday striker a further three times, telling the panel she was "looking over her right shoulder" to see back-up arriving.
PC Bettley-Smith told the panel during her evidence on Wednesday: "I just remember what I perceived to be a really aggressive, hostile, growling [person] and just thought we had antagonised him even more by tasering him. A joint medical report summary recorded Mr Atkinson probably hit his head on the road as he was grounded by a 33-second-long taser burst, and this was "likely to have caused concussion, exacerbated by any kick or kicks to the head" which would possibly have "deepened any loss of consciousness".
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