Derbyshire police officer in court accused of two assaults

A Derbyshire Constabulary officer is due to appear in court next week on assault charges relating to two separate incidents following investigations by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).

Police Constable Shaun Elliott, aged 53, will appear at Chesterfield Magistrates Court on Monday (31 July) charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm, contrary to section 47 of the Offences Against the Person Act 1861, and a count of assault by beating, contrary to section 39 of the Criminal Justice Act 1988

 The first charge follows the IOPC’s investigation of a complaint about the force used by PC Elliott during the arrest of a man at Buxton Police Station on 30 December 2022.

We also investigated a conduct referral from Derbyshire Constabulary after an incident at a petrol station in Buxton, Derbyshire, on 4 January this year (2023), during which a 15-year-old boy was allegedly Tasered. This incident led to the second charge against PC Elliott.

The charges were authorised by the Crown Prosecution Service after we passed files of evidence from our investigations following completion in June. 

• Updates: Following a four-day trial at Derby Crown Court ex-PC Elliott was acquitted by a jury on 6 August 2026 in relation to the alleged assault at Buxton Police Station. The former officer retired from the force in June 2026.
• The charge in relation to the alleged use of Taser on a 15-year-old boy was discontinued by the CPS in November 2023. 
• On concluding our investigations we also found that ex-PC Elliott had a case to answer for gross misconduct for alleged breaches of the police standards of professional behaviour for use of force in both cases. Now that the criminal matters have concluded, we will be liaising with Derbyshire Constabulary to progress disciplinary proceedings.