Published Date: 03.09.2015

A man who was Tasered by police in north Belfast last year has said he has no issue with the police officer responsible.

The man told Police Ombudsman investigators that he had tried to kill himself with a knife he had taken his kitchen in the early hours of 6 June 2014.

A short time earlier police had received a call informing them that a man had a knife and was threatening to kill himself.

When police officers arrived at his home, the man let them in. 

Police officers said he then lifted a knife from a fireplace and began waving it at them, before putting it to his stomach and threatened to kill himself.

The officers said that they drew their weapons and issued a warning to the man that if he did not put the knife down they would Taser him. They said the man ignored this warning and continued to put the knife into his stomach.

One of the officers discharged his Taser, which hit the man. The man fell backwards and was caught by another officer, who gave him first aid until the arrival of an ambulance crew.   He was then taken to hospital.

The Police Ombudsman’s Office investigates each incident when a police firearm is used.  Its investigators examined and obtained photography of the scene, recovered all the relevant items and reviewed all the relevant police documentation.

Investigators spoke to the police officers who were present and to the man who had been Tasered. The account he gave was consistent with that of the police officers. The man said he had no complaint to make about the actions of the police. 

The Police Ombudsman, Dr Michael Maguire, concluded that the actions of the police officers had helped resolve a dangerous situation.