The trial of a police officer accused of murdering former Ipswich Town footballer Dalian Atkinson is set to go ahead in September despite uncertainty around court timetables.

Pc Benjamin Monk, 41, was charged with murder and an alternative manslaughter charge last year in connection with an incident in which Mr Atkinson was Tasered in 2016.

Monk was allowed not to attend a pre-trial hearing at Birmingham Crown Court on Tuesday due to the lockdown.

The West Mercia Police constable’s colleague, Pc Mary Ellen Bettley-Smith, 29, was also excused. She has entered a not guilty plea to a charge alleging she assaulted 48-year-old Mr Atkinson occasioning actual bodily harm prior to his death.

Judge Melbourne Inman QC, who had already set a trial date for September 14, said the trial would remain a fixture subject to unforeseen circumstances.

Monk is due to formally enter pleas on the day the trial begins.