A man accused of kicking a pregnant Muslim woman in the stomach in a “devastating” racist attack has failed to appear in court.

An arrest warrant has been issued for David Gallacher after he allegedly assaulted Samsam Haji-Ali, 34, who later had a miscarriage and lost unborn twins, on August 6 last year.

He is also accused of attacking the woman's husband, Abdullah Sulaiman, 40, near a Co-op store near Milton Keynes.

The 37-year-old, of no fixed abode, failed to attend his first court appearance on Tuesday, despite it being adjourned from the morning until the afternoon to give him time to arrive.

A warrant not backed for bail was issued for Gallacher by chair of the bench David Tyler.

Last August, he is alleged to have approached Ms Haji-Ali launched a tirade of racist abuse at her before following her to her vehicle.

When there, it is claimed he kicked her to the ground and hit her partner over the head, leaving him with injuries.

During his arrest on September 14 in Bletchley, he allegedly assaulted three police officers.

He is charged with one count of assault causing actual bodily harm, one count of assault, two counts of racially aggravated assault and three counts of assaulting a police officer.

In an appeal following the attack, PC Richard Armitage said: “This racially aggravated assault had absolutely devastating consequences for the victim, who lost her baby as a result of the attack."

Additional reporting by the Press Association