The trial of a man accused of trying to kill a soldier near his Army barracks has been delayed.

Anthony Esan, 24, was charged with attempted murder after Lieutenant Colonel Mark Teeton was stabbed several times in Gillingham last year.

Esan, of Mooring Road, Rochester, is accused if trying to kill the father-of-two in an attack close to Brompton Barracks on July 23.

Lt Col. Teeton, 47, was taken to hospital with serious injuries before being discharged four weeks after the incident.

Maidstone Crown Court heard on Tuesday that legal proceedings have been delayed as Esan is presently suffering from ill mental health.

A hearing to discuss his fitness to plead and a potential trial date has been delayed until May 6 at the same court.

Esan was not present at Tuesday’s short hearing.

The defendant, who was arrested near his home in Rochester, was also charged with possessing a weapon, but no pleas have been entered.

Lt Col Teeton was living in military accommodation in Sally Port Gardens, which is just a few minutes' walk from the barracks - home to the Royal School of Military Engineering - when he was attacked, reportedly by a moped-riding assailant.

A gofundme appeal set up in the aftermath to support him and his family raised almost £50,000, with the serviceman expressing his gratitude for such generosity.

Speaking in October, he said: "It was overwhelming to receive that amount of support and generosity from complete strangers."

"We took strength and comfort from all the messages when we had just been through the most horrific experience. Our family cannot thank those people enough."