A DRINK driver attacked the police officer who tried to arrest him following a car chase, a court heard.

Curtis O’Brien, 31, ripped off his top and approached the officer, who had cornered him down an alleyway, before repeatedly throwing punches at him during a lengthy struggle.

At Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court, Wayne Jackson, prosecuting, said on December 4 last year, at around 7.30pm, O’Brien was spotted by PC Matthew Sale driving a VW Golf on Ringley Road in Radcliffe.

The Golf overtook another vehicle forcing PC Sale to swerve and he decided to follow O’Brien onto Outwood Road and Pilkington Way.

O’Brien pulled over and PC Sale asked him to turn off his engine and hand over the keys, but O’Brien sped off and a pursuit started.

The defendant drove onto the wrong side of the road, driving along Pilkington Way facing oncoming traffic at speeds of around 40mph.

He reached speeds of up to 65mph, drove straight through a red light and then drove into a car park and ran off.

Mr Jackson described how O’Brien, of Hawthorne Avenue, Radcliffe, ran down an alleyway, but it was a dead end.

After being told to place his hands on his head, O’Brien took off his jumper and began walking towards PC Sale who discharged a Taser which caused the defendant to drop to the floor.

The officer tried to handcuff him, but O’Brien, who has around 30 previous convictions, ripped the barbs from his chest, before he was hit again while trying to rip the Taser from PC Sale’s hands.

O’Brien began to throw punches with Mr Jackson saying the officer feared he was about to be overpowered until he was able to spray his attacker in the face and managed to get on top of him.

At this point, a member of the public was able to assist by lying on O’Brien’s legs until other officers arrived at the scene.

He was later found to be one-and-a-half times over the drink driving limit.

Defending O’Brien, who pleaded guilty to dangerous driving, an assault on an emergency worker, driving while disqualified, driving without insurance and driving while over the drink drive limit, Stuart Duke, said the defendant had “extensive bruising all over his body” after resisting arrest.

“He was making good progress in stabilising his mental health, but his world collapsed when his baby was taken from him and his partner by social services,” said Mr Duke.

Jailing O'Brien for 19 months, Recorder Katherine Pierpoint said: “You have an appalling record with offences dating back to when you were a juvenile, including assaulting police officers in 2004 and 2005, and numerous offences of driving while disqualified.

“You are viewed as a high risk of causing serious harm and you have no regard whatsoever to the laws concerning driving.”

O’Brien was also disqualified from driving for three years.