PC Mary Ellen Bettley-Smith will face a retrial for assaulting former Town striker Dalian Atkinson in the August 2016 incident which led to his death.

PC Benjamin Monk was jailed for eight years earlier this week having been found guilty of his manslaughter but the jury at Birmingham Crown Court was unable to reach a verdict on Bettley-Smith and was discharged.

"The CPS has today informed the court that we will seek a retrial of PC Ellen Bettley-Smith for an assault on Dalian Atkinson occasioning actual bodily harm," the Crown Prosecution Service’s head of special crime, Rosemary Ainslie, said.

"We remind everyone that criminal proceedings are active and that Ms Bettley-Smith has a right to a fair trial."

Atkinson died aged 48 in the early hours of Monday 15th August 2016 outside his father Ernest’s house in the Trench area of Telford.

The frontman joined Town as a youth player having been scouted by legendary Blues talent spotter Ron Gray during Bobby Ferguson’s time as boss.

The Shrewsbury-born frontman made his senior debut in March 1986 and went on to make 56 starts and 13 sub appearances scoring 21 goals before moving to Sheffield Wednesday for £450,000 in July 1989. Aston Villa, Real Sociedad and Fenerbahçe were among his other clubs.

Not date has yet been set for Bettley-Smith’s retrial.

Photo: ITFC

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