Taser review recommended after human fireball death

The Independent Police Complaints Commission has recommended that training in the use of Tasers should be revised, following the death of a man from Plymouth.

Andrew Pimlott died from severe burns after dousing himself in petrol at his parents' home in April 2013.

An inquest decided yesterday that he had probably caught fire after being Tasered by police.

You can read the full IPCC report here.

An inquest is underway into the death of a man tasered by police officers after he doused himself in petrol while holding a lit match.

Andrew Pimlott died several days later as a result of the severe burns he suffered.

Our reporter Richard Lawrence sent this report from the hearing:

An inquest has heard how a police officer tried to prevent a man who was covered in petrol setting fire to himself in Plymouth - by shooting a Taser at him.

PC David Beer described the moment his colleague fired the stun gun which led to Andrew Pimlott's death in April 2013.

PC Beer told the court that he arrived at the garden of the house in Coombe Park Lane to join his colleague and saw Mr Pimlott dowse himself in petrol.

He then saw him strike something and saw the flame. He said he thought there was an immediate risk to everyone nearby. He heard PC Hodgkinson's Taser activate and saw Mr Pimlott covered in flames. He covered him in a duvet, then people rushed in with water and paramedics arrived.

Mr Pimlott died in hospital five days after the incident.

PC Peter Hodgkinson says the incident was the first time he had deployed the Tazer.

The Crown Prosecution Service previously decided that there was insufficient evidence to bring any charges against the officers involved.