Dorset Police officer charged with assault

10 Mar 2026 02:44 PM

A Dorset Police officer is due in court accused of assaulting a man, following an investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).

PC Scott Thorne, aged 40, is set to face a charge of assault occasioning actual bodily harm, on 12 March 2026, at Southampton Magistrates’ Court.

The charge relates to an incident officers responded to at a hostel in Bournemouth on 30 July 2024 and the force used during the arrest of a man at the hostel.

The IOPC’s investigation began after a mandatory conduct referral was submitted by Dorset Police. Once our investigation was completed in August 2025, we sent a file of evidence to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).

The CPS authorised the charge against the officer in October 2025.