A police constable has been cleared of assaulting ex-Aston Villa star Dalian Atkinson after telling jurors she struck him with a baton as a last resort.Pc Mary Ellen Bettley-Smith was acquitted after jurors rejected prosecution claims that she "lashed out" in anger at Mr Atkinson before his death in Telford, Shropshire, in the early hours of August 15, 2016.Bettley-Smith, 32, was found not guilty at Birmingham Crown Court on Wednesday after the jury had deliberated for three hours and two minute

A police constable has been cleared of assaulting ex-Aston Villa star Dalian Atkinson after telling jurors she struck him with a baton as a last resort.Pc Mary Ellen Bettley-Smith was acquitted after jurors rejected prosecution claims that she "lashed out" in anger at Mr Atkinson before his death in Telford, Shropshire, in the early hours of August 15, 2016.Bettley-Smith, 32, was found not guilty at Birmingham Crown Court on Wednesday after the jury had deliberated for three hours and two minutes following a re-trial.