Leicester: Patient, aged 83, Felled by Police Officer's 50,000-Volt Taser

Police electrocuted an 83 year old man with a Taser stun gun after he walked out a care home without telling staff.

West Midlands Police officers fired at the pensioner because they believed he posed a threat of violence, a Freedom of Information request revealed.

He was hit by the 50,000 voltage weapon by officers after they located him in a Leicester park and were threatened with a knife by the octegenarian, who also said he would harm himself.

A police spokesman said: "He suffered only minor injuries."

According to reports, the un-named elderly man had been undergoing psychiatric examination for potential mental health problems, prior to the incident in 2011.

Home Office figures reveal officers in the West Midlands Police used Tasers more and more often in the years leading up to 2011. That year, the use of Tasers by officers peaked at a three year high - 25 times.

Defending the use of Tasers, Leicestershire Chief Constable Phil Kay said they often defused dangerous situations without being fired.

"Taser offers police a less lethal option to resolve situations, which include threats of violence from an individual towards the public, themselves and the police," he said.