Former PC guilty of assaulting woman in custody

The victim needed hospital treatment after the assault in custody

A former police constable has pleaded guilty to assaulting a woman while she was in custody.

Andrew Watt, 51, who served with Essex Police, appeared in court following an Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) investigation.

The victim sustained a head injury and needed hospital treatment after the assault following her arrest in Clacton-on-Sea in December 2023.

Watt appeared at Cambridge Magistrates' Court on 8 August where he admitted pushing the woman while she was in a cell. He was acquitted of a second charge of assault by beating.

He was sentenced to 100 hours of unpaid work and told to pay £100 compensation.

The former officer was also told to pay £85 in costs and a £114 victim surcharge.

IOPC regional director Charmaine Arbouin said: "This officer now has a conviction against his name and this case should be a warning to officers who use force on people in custody.

"Though force can be used if needed, officers are trained to always use it with restraint. In this case it was neither necessary, proportionate nor reasonable in the circumstances."