A police officer based in Clacton is set to appear in court after he was charged with computer misuse offences.

PC Scott Gardner-McLean, 21, was charged with an offence under the Computer Misuse Act 1990 in December.

The charge follows a months-long enquiry carried out by the Independent Office for Police Conduct.

The body referred a file of evidence to the Crown Prosecution service after an investigation was carried out between October 2019 and April 2019.

Gardner-McLean is accused of using the police computer system to access records when he had no legitimate policing purpose for doing so.

He is due to appear at Colchester Magistrates' Court on Tuesday, January 26.