Fears grow over taser gun expansion in Britain

September 1, 2007
Miles Goslett, Telegraph

Taser electric stun guns are being made available to hundreds more police in England and Wales from today. To date, there has been only one death in Britain - that of Brian Loan, 47. I guess that's about to change.

Family attacks inquest ruling on Taser death

August 30, 2007
Northern Echo, England

A Coroner's Inquest into the death of England's Brian Loan has concluded that his death was from natural causes.

Coroner Terence Carney said "It may be in five or ten years' time somebody may find a link, but no one has found one in this case." Mr. Loan's sister, Barbara Hodgson, said: "The evidence might not exist at the minute, but I am sure we will be proved right as more cases come to light."

She's right, you know. It's only a matter of time before the missing link is located. In the meantime, it's still Russian Roulette.

Victim’s sister speaks out against tasers in Britain

August 28, 2007
Neil McKay, The Journal (Newcastle, England)

The inquest into the October 11, 2006 death of Brian Loan in England is set to begin tomorrow. His sister, Barbara Hodgson, is expecting that the inquest will be told he died of natural causes. But she said that she would not accept the findings and fears more deaths will follow if officers are made to carry stun guns. Says Ms. Hodgson: “My brother had 50,000 volts pumped into him. How can anybody say that did not contribute to his death? If he died of heart failure, as the police say, then there is no doubt in my mind that his death was caused by what happened to him. To say his arrest and his death three days later were not linked beggars belief.”