A POLICE officer Tasered a man after a woman was seen running out of a flat in distress.

A man was arrested and charged with assault by beating following the incident in Grange Road, Uckfield.

PC Claire Harrison was the officer who discharged the Taser as she responded to reports of a disturbance at a flat.

She arrived at the scene to see a woman run out of the address in a distressed state, followed shortly afterwards by a man who "was displaying aggressive behaviour".

PC Harrison drew her Taser and "red-dotted" the man, warning him she would be forced to fire it if his aggressive demeanour continued.

But the man did not stop, and so the officer Tasered him "due to the threat level posed, and to prevent injury".

The quick-thinking actions of PC Harrison, who is part of the Surrey and Sussex Police Dog Unit, have been praised by her colleagues.

Sergeant Matt Songhurst said: “PC Harrison acted with courage and professionalism throughout this incident.

"She protected a vulnerable victim and supported divisional officers in their response, which led to the swift arrest of the suspect.

“She remained calm despite the threat of violence, and her actions are an excellent reflection on the Dog Unit and Sussex Police as a whole.

“This demonstrates how our frontline officers are multi-skilled and trained to respond to a variety of incidents according to the circumstances.”

Robert McPhee unemployed, of Grange Road in Uckfield, was arrested and charged with assault by beating.

The 35-year-old is scheduled to stand trial at Brighton Magistrates’ Court on December 8.