Canada investigates Taser death

The video shows Mr Dziekanski being pinned down by police

A public inquiry has begun in Canada into the case of a man who died on an airport floor after police officers used a Taser electric stun gun on him.

Robert Dziekanski, a Polish immigrant who did not speak English, was confronted by four policemen at Vancouver airport in 2007.

A bystander filmed the officers repeatedly stunning him with a Taser.

The police were heavily criticised when the recording emerged but no charges were brought.

The inquiry will hear from up to 80 witnesses and is expected to last six months. It could find the officers guilty of misconduct.

Heated debate

In October 2007, the 40-year-old Mr Dziekanski became agitated and began to behave erratically after wandering around Vancouver's airport for 10 hours.

Unable to speak English, he had become increasingly confused as he failed to find the public arrivals area where his mother had been waiting for him.

He was confronted by four Royal Canadian Mounted Police officers who stunned him five times with a Taser gun.

The incident has led to a heated debate about the use of the stun guns, the BBC's Lee Carter in Toronto says.

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