AN ASSAULT suspect attacked two police officers who were trying to arrest him and then tried to escape by climbing into a railway depot.

Blackburn magistrates heard Wayne Knights had put himself at risk by running along the railway tracks before climbing out of the Brunswick Street depot in Blackburn.

Knights, 39, of no fixed address, pleaded guilty to two charges of police assault and one of trespassing on railway property.

He was sentenced to six weeks in prison after the magistrates were told he was being recalled on prison licence, possibly until March 2020.

Parveen Akhtar, prosecuting, said the officers had gone to speak to Knights in relation to an alleged assault. He was obstructive and resisted arrest.

One officer suffered a cut to his eyelid as Knights tried to “gouge his eye out” and the other suffered an injury to his right arm as he used his pepper spray.

“The defendant managed to get away and ran through traffic before climbing over a fence into the railway depot,” said Miss Akhtar.

Gareth Price, defending, said the officers had approached Knights very quickly and took hold of him prior to placing him under arrest.

“He accepts he responded in kind and sought to fight them off,” said Mr Price.

“Having managed to escape he ran off and it just happened that took him towards the railway tracks.”

Yesterday the Lancashire Telegraph revealed 144 police officers were injured in assaults across the county.

The Police Federation has hailed the introduction of a new law which will allow tougher sentences for offenders.