Police officer accused of murdering former Ipswich player Dalian Atkinson to stand trial next month
Mr Atkinson died in 2016
The trial of a police officer accused of murdering former Ipswich Town star Dalian Atkinson is expected to open in early May, a court has heard.
A pre-trial hearing at Birmingham Crown Court on Tuesday was told a jury is due to be selected and empanelled on Monday and Tuesday of next week.
Prosecutor Alexandra Healy QC told the court the case was then likely to be adjourned until opening addresses by lawyers on Tuesday May 4.
Pc Benjamin Monk, 42, was charged in 2019 with murder and an alternative charge of manslaughter after an inquiry into Mr Atkinson’s death in 2016 in Telford, Shropshire.
Monk was not expected or required to attend the pre-trial hearing, which lasted for around 40 minutes.
The West Mercia Police constable’s colleague, Pc Mary Ellen Bettley-Smith, 31, was also excused from attending.
She has entered a not guilty plea to a charge alleging she assaulted Mr Atkinson occasioning actual bodily harm prior to his death on August 15 2016.
The officers’ trial was originally due to take place in September last year, but was rescheduled due to difficulties caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
Atkinson, aged 48, played for several others clubs, including Aston Villa and Sheffield Wednesday.