Officer guilty of assaulting woman in custody
An Essex Police officer has been ordered to carry out unpaid work after being convicted of assault by beating.
PC Andrew Watt, 51, appeared at Cambridge Magistrates’ Court where he admitted pushing a woman in a custody cell after she was arrested in Clacton-on-Sea in December 2023.
She sustained a head injury and needed hospital treatment. He was acquitted of a second charge of assault by beating.
PC Watt was sentenced to 100 hours of unpaid work and ordered to pay £100 in compensation, an £85 court fee and a £114 victim surcharge.
The charges followed an investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).
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.”
On conclusion of the IOPC investigation in May 2024, a file of evidence was sent to the Crown Prosecution Service, which authorised the charges.
“We will now liaise with Essex Police to progress a misconduct hearing for the officer over alleged breaches of the police standards of professional behaviour,” the IOPC said.