An army veteran has been paid £50,000 in compensation by Bedfordshire police after he was Tasered while suffering a flashback triggered by post-traumatic stress disorder.

The former army corporal, known only as Michael for legal reasons, was knocked out by the 1,500-volt shock immediately after he asked the officer to put the Taser down.

Michael told the Guardian that the incident had left him “too terrified to leave my own home in case I saw the police again” and that he believed officers should be better trained to handle mental health issues.

The payout, thought to be one of the biggest compensation awards to a Taser victim, comes after the death of the former Aston Villa footballer Dalian Atkinson, who was Tasered by officers while suffering a medical episode.

Michael, who served in Northern Ireland during 18 years in the army, developed post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after being injured by a hand grenade in Bosnia in 1991.



“Being Tasered had a massive effect on my life. I went from someone who was struggling with PTSD but still able to have some sort of life to someone who couldn’t leave the house,” he said.



“I used to stay up all night looking out the window because I was scared that the police would come and hurt me. It got so bad that we had to move to another part of the country so I wouldn’t see any officers from Bedfordshire. If it hadn’t have been for the support of my partner I don’t think I’d still be here today.”



He added: “If I had another flashback in the same situation now I wouldn’t be confident that the police would know what to do. It’s really important that officers think very carefully before using a Taser, particularly on someone with mental health problems, as it can ruin lives.”

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Dalian Atkinson, the former Aston Villa footballer, died after being Tasered by police officers in August. Photograph: Anton Want/Getty Images

Police officers were called by Michael’s partner Joanne when the former serviceman suffered a flashback as they drove through Luton on 5 May 2014.



Michael punched the front windscreen of the car before saying he was going to kill Joanne and then himself because he was too much to cope with.

He then became disorientated and hid in bushes outside Luton and Dunstable hospital, believing he was still in the army, when officers were called at 9pm.

When officers arrived, they tried to convince Michael – who was still distressed – to go to hospital, but he was reluctant to go. He asked officers to let him go home, but they refused.

Michael’s solicitor, Gus Silverman, of the law firm Irwin Mitchell, said the officers tried to phone mental health specialists but “failed to take more than cursory steps” to contact them “despite the fact they were literally in the car park of a hospital”.



After an hour of calm negotiation, one of the officers drew his Taser and instructed Michael to put his hands behind his back and turn around. At this point, the former serviceman was surrounded by four officers with his back to a fence.

He asked the officer to put down his weapon so they could talk but was immediately Tasered, causing him to collapse unconscious as officers handcuffed him from behind.

One of the officers recorded in his pocket notebook: “Due to the length of time it was taking a decision was made that the officers were going to take [Michael] to the hospital ... [the officer] drew his Taser and informed [Michael] of this. [Michael] stood with his hands in his pockets and said, ‘Ok, let’s talk’, but was Tasered.”



Facebook Twitter Pinterest A Taser instructor who reviewed footage of the incident said she had been “unable to identify a rise, or change in the threat level to the public, the officers or the subject” before the weapon was discharged. Photograph: Gareth Fuller/PA

After being stretchered into an ambulance, Michael was detained under the Mental Health Act and taken to hospital. He was discharged in the early hours of the following day.



In a subsequent internal investigation, a nationally trained Taser instructor who reviewed footage of the incident from a body-worn camera said she had been “unable to identify a rise, or change in the threat level to the public, the officers or the subject” before the 1,500-volt shock was discharged.

The force refused to uphold a complaint into the incident, concluding that the officer honestly believed such force was necessary. But Silverman described that finding as “erroneous”, pointing out that the test is whether the officer “honestly and reasonably” believed it was necessary to use a Taser.

Michael’s partner Joanne said the incident had caused his mental health to deteriorate to the extent that she is now his full-time carer. She added: “The officers who attended the scene that night knew that Michael was suffering from a flashback and had PTSD.

“After they were there for about an hour and had been talking with him they suddenly pulled out a Taser and fired it. He fell on to the floor straight away and lost consciousness.

“It was extremely frightening for me as I never expected the officers to do that to someone clearly suffering from a mental illness and who wasn’t a threat to anyone.”

The £50,000 payout is thought to be one of the biggest compensation awards by police for a Taser incident. In 2014, a security guard from Birmingham received £26,500 in compensation from West Midlands police after being Tasered and wrongly arrested by officers.