Mother of police Taser victim describes seeing the 'fear in his face' before officer pulled trigger

Jordan Begley died two hours after being hit with the stun gun

Police were called to the house of Jordan Begley, 23, after a row developed with neighbours (Facebook)

The mother of a man who died after being shot with a police Taser saw the “fear in his face” moments before the officer pulled the trigger, an inquest heard.

Jordan Begley, 23, died in hospital two hours after being hit with the stun gun when police were called to his home in Manchester during a row with neighbours on the evening of 10 July, 2013.

Yesterday, at the start of the inquest into his death, his mother Dorothy Begley walked out of the courtroom in tears as the jury heard how her son was shot with a Taser and struck by police officers while being restrained.

Nigel Meadows, coroner for Manchester, gave the jury of seven women and four men an outline of the evidence they would hear during the inquest, scheduled to last up to five weeks at Manchester Civil Courts of Justice.

The officer said to have pulled the trigger, Pc Terence Donnelly, and four others, Pc Dave Graham, Pc Christopher Mills, Pc Peter Fox and Pc Andrew Wright, all serving with Greater Manchester Police (GMP), are expected to give evidence.

But the jury was told they will hear “different accounts” of what happened to Mr Begley, who was not holding a knife or weapon when he was hit with the Taser from a distance of 27 inches.

Mr Begley, who worked in an ice cream factory, had been accused of stealing a neighbour’s handbag and a row developed in the street, before he went back inside the house he shared with his mother, the court heard.

His mother called 999 because her son, a heavy drinker who also used cocaine, was threatening to get a knife.

This resulted in a “Grade One” police response with a number of officers responding to the call to the family’s mid-terrace house in Gorton, central Manchester. The coroner, reading from an opening address to the jury, said Mrs Begley saw an officer point his Taser at her son in the rear dining room.

“The officer was saying in a loud voice, words to the effect, ‘This is your third and final warning! Step back!’

“She could see the fear in Jordan’s face. He was not saying anything to the officers.”

The court heard Mr Begley had been hit twice with the Taser then resisted arrest as officers struggled to cuff him. He breathing became abnormal and shortly afterwards be became unresponsive.

He was pronounced dead at Manchester Royal Infirmary later.

The jury also heard details of Pc Donnelly’s account. He claims that despite warnings to “step back”, Mr Begley put his hands in his pockets and approached him.

Mr Meadows continued: “Pc Donnelly will say that this action of putting his hands into his pockets raised suspicion as to the whereabouts of the knife.

“Pc Donnelly will say that he told Jordan to stand still and show his hands, but that Jordan continued to walk slowly towards him with his hands in his pockets.

“In response, Pc Donnelly drew his Taser and told him to stand still, but he recalls that Jordan continued to move towards him, despite warnings, which led him to discharge his Taser.”

Expert medical witnesses will tell the jury Mr Begley suffered a cardiac arrest approximately two minutes after the Taser was deployed.

The inquest continued with the jurors being taken on a site visit to the house where Mr Begley lived and where he was shot with the Taser.