IMPRISIONED US soldier and former Haverfordwest schoolboy Bradley Manning will not face trial until next year, a military judge has ruled.

Six weeks have been set aside for the trial of the 24- year-old soldier, due to start on February 4th – nearly three years after he was first charged.

Military rules normally specify that there should be no more than 120 days between charge and the start of a trial.

Bradley attended Tasker Milward School for a short time and still has family in Milford Haven.

Bradley’s trial is said to be one of the biggest whistleblower trials in American history. He faces 22 counts relating to allegations that he leaked hundreds of thousands of secret US army documents to WikiLeaks.

Bradley’s lawyer is fighting to get the charges thrown out at a pre-trial hearing in November because of what could be considered illegal pre-trial treatment at the first army base he was held in solitary confinement and subjected to a harsh regime.