PC due in court accused of assaulting a woman

An investigation began after a woman was injured while in custody at Colchester police station

An officer accused of assaulting a woman who was in custody is due to appear in court, a police force has confirmed.

PC Andrew Watt, 51, who is based at Clacton police station, has been charged with two counts of assault by beating.

The charges relate to an incident in December 2023 when a woman "sustained a head injury" while in custody at Colchester, said Essex Police.

Mr Watt is due to appear before magistrates in Cambridge on Thursday. The hearing follows an investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).

In a statement, a spokesperson for Essex Police said: "The charges relate to a challenging incident during which a woman was arrested and conveyed to a custody suite.

"In that time, the woman sustained a head injury. As a result of the incident, PC Watt was suspended."

The force said it had referred the incident to "our professional standards department" and the IOPC.

In a separate statement, the IOPC said the woman, who had been arrested in Clacton before being taken to Colchester, required hospital treatment.

"While in custody in Colchester she was allegedly twice pushed in a police cell by the officer," it said.

The IOPC said that when its investigation concluded, it sent a file of evidence to the Crown Prosecution Service which "authorised the charge".