Stun gun used to detain armed man

Police were given permission in August 2005 to use stun guns

Police have used a stun gun to restrain a 41-year-old man who threatened a woman with a knife in Leicester.

The man, who was armed with two knives, was shot with the gun when officers decided he was a threat to himself, a woman and a 13-year-old girl.

It is the first time Leicestershire police have used such a weapon.

Police said the man apparently stabbed himself in the arm and leg with a knife at a house on Hand Avenue in Braunstone on Thursday.

He was taken to the Leicester Royal Infirmary where he was treated for the knife wounds.

He was also checked for any possible injuries from the stun gun.

The man, who has not been named, was released from hospital and taken into police custody where a psychiatric evaluation will be carried out.

Leicestershire police were first given permission to use stun guns, which use a strong electrical pulse to temporarily incapacitate, in August 2005.