A POLICE officer has been found guilty of assaulting a child by kicking her while she was in custody.
Ian Cheesman, 53, pleaded not guilty to the assault on a girl, 13, which happened on April 6, 2021, at Chichester custody centre.
But Cheesman, from Goring, was found guilty yesterday and sentenced to a 12-month community order, 50 hours of unpaid work and ordered to pay £750 costs.
Cheesman, who was a Sussex Police sergeant at the time, has been suspended from duty.
He now faces internal investigation following the result of the case at Portsmouth Magistrates' Court.
The incident was referred to the Independent Office of Police Conduct who directed that a local investigation should be conducted by the professional standards department.
Detective Superintendent Rachel Carr said: "Sussex Police expects the highest personal and professional standards of anyone who works for us.
"The force's professional standards department will now consider misconduct proceedings following the result of the court case."
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