A former editor accused of sending an obscene tweet to a Jewish campaigner is to stand trial in November.

Greg Hadfield, who edited the Brighton & Hove Independent between 2013 and 2015, appeared at Brighton Magistrates Court last week for a pre-trial review.

His trial had been originally due to take place on 24 June, but has now been rescheduled for 17-18 November.

Hadfield, pictured, denies a single charge of sending by public communication network an offensive, indecent, obscene or menacing message on X (formerly Twitter) to Fiona Sharpe.

The 68-year-old former newsman, of Surrenden Road, Brighton, was represented in court by John Cooper KC.

He took up the editorship of the Independent in July 2013 but resigned two years’ later following its takeover by Johnston Press.

Hadfield began his career at the Wakefield Express in 1979 and went on to become chief reporter and news editor at the Western Morning News from 1983 to 1986, before moving on to the nationals.

He served as education correspondent at Today for two years before taking up the same role at the Sunday Times, where he later became news editor and assistant editor.

In 1994 he joined the Daily Mail as a senior investigative reporter at the Daily Mail, switching to the chief reporter role at the Daily Express two years later.

He also co-founded football website Soccernet in 1995, which was later sold to ESPN for £25m.