Jury selection under way as police officer denies ex-footballer’s murder
Pc Benjamin Monk denies murdering former Aston Villa star Dalian Atkinson and an alternative charge of manslaughter.
A police officer has entered formal not guilty pleas over the alleged murder and manslaughter of former Aston Villa star Dalian Atkinson.
The trial of Pc Benjamin Monk, of West Mercia Police, is expected to open next week at Birmingham Crown Court.
Monk, aged 42, spoke to deny both charges against him when he was arraigned by the court clerk at a hearing on Monday, ahead of jury selection in his case.
Monk 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.
The constable’s colleague, Pc Mary Ellen Bettley-Smith, 31, is also set to face trial accused of assault.
She has already 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 48-year-old former footballer played for several others clubs, including Sheffield Wednesday and Ipswich Town.
