A PROVISIONAL date has been set for the trial of a former Avon and Somerset police officer who is alleged to have stolen weapons from the force armoury.

Richard Rockey, aged 59, was not asked to enter a plea during his first appearance at Exeter Crown Court where Judge David Evans adjourned the case until September, when he will hear preliminary legal arguments.

Rockey is a retired police officer who is accused of stealing kit when he was working at the armoury in of before 2019.

Judge Evans set a timetable for the progress of the case with a date reserved for a four or five-day trial which is due to start on May 20, 2024. He released him on bail pending the next hearing on September 22.

Rockey, of Dornafield Close, Ipplepen, Devon, faces two charges of stealing an air rifle, an air pistol and an ACOG sighting system from Avon and Somerset Police.

He also faces four charges of possessing prohibited weapons, possessing ammunition without a certificate and possessing a firearm without a certificate in October 2021 at Newton Abbot.