Inquest hears that PC in taser human fireball death had not used the weapon before

An inquest has heard how a police officer who tasered a man who'd doused himself in petrol - a split second before he became a human fireball - had never used the weapon before.

  • [Andrew Pimlott died after become a human fire ball in his parent's back garden]( http://www.itv.com/news/westcountry/2015-09-28/man-tasered-by-police-after-becoming-a-human-fire-ball/ )

PC Peter Hodgkinson told the inquest that he had completed his three-day Taser training course in 2012, but had not deployed the weapon before being called to the incident at the home of Mr Pimlott's parents.

They called the police after seeing their son enter their garden on CCTV - they had taken out a restraining order against him.

PC Hodgkinson answered the call. He told the jury he was already on his guard as he headed down the side of the house into the garden, but became "heightened" when the control room told him that Mr Pimlott had previously assaulted a police officer.

The PC says he found Mr Pimlott with a petrol jerry can.

He told the inquest that he looked round and got his Taser.

"As I looked up I saw a flame, light, in Mr Pimlott's hand. I believe it was in his right hand. I tried to engage and shouted 'Put it down, Taser trained or Taser officer'.I don't remember the exact words said but something to that effect."

PC Hodgkinson continued "Shortly after that he became engulfed in flames and that's when myself and Pc Beer tried to pat the flames out.

Pc Hodgkinson was then asked a series of questions by barrister Mr Barnes, who suggested he had fired the Taser "almost instantaneously" when he saw the lit match. The officer insisted that was not the case and that he had warned Mr Pimlott he was Taser-trained.

Mr Barnes asked Pc Hodgkinson if he had considered a "different approach" by talking to Mr Pimlott as he may have got a "different outcome".

Mr Barnes then suggested to the officer that he could have waited for the match to go out or blow out, adding that "it gave a good opportunity for the fire to be avoided"

PC Hodgkinson disagreed, saying "I don't see how I can say it any other way because I don't agree with what you're saying. I did what I did because I believed Mr Pimlott was going to set fire to himself."

Mr Barnes asked: "The reality is that the option you chose - setting off the Taser - increased the risk of a fire?"

The officer replied: "I did what I did to take away the risk of Mr Pimlott harming himself."

The inquest is ongoing.