A POLICE officer was removed from his car on a body board after it was rammed at the end of a high speed pursuit.

Blackburn magistrates heard banned driver Liam Stevenson twice reversed at the police car and on the second crashed into the vehicle and forced it against a lamppost.

And the court was told Stevenson was on bail for another offence of dangerous driving and driving while disqualified.

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Stevenson, 21, of Livesey Branch Road, Blackburn, pleaded guilty to dangerous driving, driving while disqualified and without insurance and failing to stop and resisting a police officer on a separate occasion. He was sent in custody to Preston Crown Court to be sentenced.

Andrea Fawcett, prosecuting, said Stevenson was first seen driving a Nissan Micra at excessive speed on Roebuck Close.

“The officer followed and activated his blue lights and from that point it became a chase,” said Mrs Fawcett.

Stevenson was weaving in and out of traffic as he race along Preston Old Road towards Cherry Tree. At one point an off-duty officer had to take evasive action to avoid a head-on collision.

Mrs Fawcett said when Stevenson was cornered in a dead end he reversed towards the police car but the officer was able to reverse away to avoid a collision.

“Shortly after he was cornered again and this time rammed the police car, forcing it into a lamppost,” said Mrs Fawcett. “The officer suffered spinal injuries and was removed from his car on a body board and in a neck brace.”

Damian Pickup, defending, said Stevenson had panicked when he realised the police were following him because he had been banned from driving for three years in May.

Mr Pickup said the resisting police offence happened at Royal Blackburn Hospital where Stevenson asked to be sectioned because of mental health problems.

“After he was arrested and taken to the police station he was taken back to hospital and sectioned,” said Mr Pickup.