LONDON (Reuters) - The trial of former Manchester United soccer player Ryan Giggs has been delayed to August 8 due to a lack of court space, the BBC reported after a hearing on Tuesday.
The former Wales national manager is charged with controlling and coercive behaviour and assault against his ex-girlfriend and her sister. The trial at Manchester Crown Court had been due to start on Jan. 24.
Giggs, 48, has pleaded not guilty to all charges and remains on bail.
"Unfortunately it has become necessary to vacate this trial from the list," the BBC quoted Judge Hilary Manley as saying. "The reason for this is because there is not a court available to accommodate this trial.
"Due to the large backlog of court cases, which has been exacerbated by the pandemic and the need for social distancing, this is a situation which is a daily reality for the criminal courts."
Giggs' lawyer said his client was "extremely disappointed".
The former player was charged last April when a magistrate's court heard a prosecutor read out a summary of charges including that he struck Kate Greville with a "deliberate headbutt".
He was first arrested in the case and released on bail in Nov. 2020.
Giggs made 963 appearances over 23 years for Manchester United as a player, a club record, winning a haul of honours including 13 Premier League winner's medals and two UEFA Champions League winner's medals.
He represented Wales as a player 64 times between 1991 and 2007 and took over as national coach in 2018. (This story corrects to remove extra 'B' in BBC, first paragraph)