Man who rammed police officer in van jailed

A man who drove his van at a police officer as he tried to escape a cul-de-sac has been jailed for the "disgusting attack".

Kyle Woods, 33, accelerated at the Greater Manchester Police officer after being blocked in on Didcot Road in Manchester, causing him a broken ankle and other physical and psychological injuries which caused him "excruciating pain", Manchester Crown Court heard.

He pleaded guilty to assault and dangerous driving and was sentenced to six year and four months in prison.

Gary Crawford of the Crown Prosecution Service said the "harrowing incident" was "unacceptable".

The officer, who described the incident as "one of the most traumatic events of his life", was knocked down and his car damaged on Sunday 5 May.

The court heard that he had been called to speak to a woman about Woods at about 22:30 BST.

He left the property about an hour later and saw Woods driving past him so he manoeuvred his vehicle to stop Woods getting out of the road and then got out to speak to him.

Woods quickly accelerated towards a gap between the officer's car and another vehicle.

He fled the scene but was arrested the following day.

Constable Smith from GMP's Trafford district said: "We are fortunate that the officer involved in this disgusting attack did not suffer more serious injuries, and is thankfully back serving his community."

He said it demonstrated the sort of violence officers could face, adding that they "put their safety on the line day-in, day-out".

He commended all the officers involved in this "shocking case", adding Woods would have "plenty of time to think about his vile actions" while in prison.

Garry Crawford, from the Crown Prosecution Service North West, said this was a "harrowing incident" and "assaults against brave frontline officers were unacceptable".

He said the incident had had a "severe psychological impact" on the officer, adding that he hoped that he would make a full recovery.

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