A SERVING police officer has been cleared of an assault charge.

Mohinder Sandhu, who is a constable in the British Transport Police based at the force's Central London Police Station, had been charged with assault in connection with an incident alleged to have taken place in Colchester in 2017.

The investigation was conducted by Essex Police and was alleged to have related to an incident of domestic violence.

PC Sandhu, 31, had always denied the charge saying there had been no infliction of unlawful force.

It had been alleged he had assaulted the mother of his child leaving her with reddening to her neck and bruising to her arm but had claimed the marks had been left after the assault he had been accused of.

Following a trial at Colchester Magistrates' Court which lasted less than a day, PC Sandhu was cleared of the charge.

PC Sandhu, of Albert Street, Colchester, was placed on restricted duties by the police during the course of the investigation.

A spokesman for the British Transport Police said they would now review the situation to see if any internal breaches of practice had been committed.

"The force is now reviewing the current restrictions and whether there have been any potential breaches of the code of ethics or the standards of professional behaviour," the spokesman said.