Man in Staffordshire shot by police with Taser dies after suspected burglary

The man became “unresponsive” after he was shot and taken into a police vehicle

A man has died after being shot by police with a Taser (PA)

A man in Staffordshire has died after being shot with a Taser by police.

Staffordshire Police arrived at address on Audley Road, Newcastle-under-Lyme, shortly after 1:00 am on Monday morning when after receiving reports of a burglary.

Police arrived at the property find the occupants had left the building but one man was left inside.

A police spokesperson said: “During the incident, a Taser was discharged by officers and the man was taken into a police vehicle.”

The man later became “unresponsive”. He was treated by paramedics from the West Midlands ambulance service but died a short time after.

Staffordshire police said in a statement: “A detailed investigation is underway and the scene will remain cordoned off while the investigation continues.

“Local officers will be in the community throughout the day, talking to residents.”

The incident has been referred to the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC).

Official figures released in October showed that in the first half of this year Tasers were used on 5,107 occasions. More than 80 per cent involved situations were the weapon was not actually discharged.

The number of instances of Taser use by police forces in England and Wales rose from 3,128 to 10,380 between 2009 and 2013, the figures showed.

Earlier this year research found that Taser use against children by the Metropolitan Police - the country's largest force - has risen nearly six-fold over four years.

Shock tactics: Taser incidents

Andrew Pimlott, soaked in petrol and apparently holding a lit match in Plymouth, was tasered by police in April 2013. He caught fire and died of his injuries five days later.

Jordan Begley, 23, died after being hit with a Taser bolt by a Greater Manchester Police officer in Gorton, Manchester, in July 2013.

Matthew Williams, 34, who was suspected of murdering a woman in Argoed, South Wales, was shot with a Taser last month and died.

Three teenage boys with learning difficulties were tasered by police at a Plymouth school in December 2013, following an alleged assault on a teacher.

Colin Farmer, a blind man in his sixties from Chorley, Lancashire, was mistakenly tasered in October 2012, by an officer who thought his white stick was a samurai sword. He made a full recovery, but is pursuing civil action against Lancashire Police.

Dale Burns, a 27-year-old bodybuilder, suffered a heart attack after being tasered four times by Cumbrian police in August 2011. The coroner at his inquest ruled he died after taking a drug known as Madcat, the only significant cause of his death.

Additional reporting by PA