A UK police officer has appeared in court charged with the murder of former Aston Villa footballer Dalian Atkinson.

Atkinson died in August 2016 after he was tasered during an incident near his father’s home in Telford.

Two West Mercia Police officers appeared Birmingham Magistrates' Court this afternoon.

They were referred to as Constables A and B, after lawyers requested they remain anonymous.

Constable A was charged with murder as well as ‘unlawful act manslaughter,’ which a jury will be allowed to consider should it find the murder charge unproven. He was remanded in custody.

Constable B was charged with assault causing actual bodily harm. She was granted bail.

The scene outside an address in Meadow Close in the Trench area of Telford, after former Aston Villa footballer Dalian Atkinson died, 15-08-2016. Image: Joe Giddens/PA Wire/PA Images

Atkinson was 48-years-old when he was tasered on August 15th 2016.

He went into cardiac arrest in an ambulance on his way to hospital and medics were unable to save him.

At the time, West Mercia Police said officers were called over concerns “for the safety of an individual.”

He played for Ipswich Town and Sheffield Wednesday between 1985 and 1990, then Aston Villa from 1991 to 1995, before moving to play outside of England.

He enjoyed spells at Real Sociedad in Spain and Al-Ittihad in Saudi Arabia before retiring in 2001.

A tribute to former Aston Villa player Dalian Atkinson on the big screen at Villa Park, 16-08-2016. Image: Nick Potts/PA Wire/PA Images

Kate Maynard, the Atkinson family's lawyer, said: "Dalian's family welcomes the decision to put the conduct of police officers before a jury but regrets that already more than three years have passed since Dalian died.

"They ask for their privacy to be respected and press for the criminal proceedings to progress without delay or obstruction."

The decision to charge both officers was made after the case was referred to the CPS by the police watchdog, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).

The IOPC said its investigation gathered evidence which indicated that police contact with Mr Atkinson involved the use of a Taser, followed by a period of restraint and other uses of force.