A police community support officer 'feared for his safety' after being carried on the bonnet of a car which drove into him, a court heard.

The driver, Sean Nix, 28, appeared at appeared at Norwich Crown Court yesterday to be sentenced after previously pleading guilty to dangerous driving and assault, occasioning actual bodily harm, on February 25 this year.

Ben Brighouse, prosecuting, said Nix was spotted driving near Diss town centre at about 4.30pm by a PCSO who followed the defendant and asked him to get out of the vehicle.

Nix, whose address was given in court as HMP Norwich, said he was going to turn his vehicle around and did so while the PCSO was standing in the road.

Mr Brighouse said the PCSO described Nix driving as if he 'put his foot down' and drove straight ahead with his face concentrated on the officer.

The court heard the officer was driven at and carried on the bonnet, after his foot got caught, for about 10 metres before he 'fell off'.

Mr Brighouse said the PCSO, who 'genuinely feared for his safety', was taken to A&E where he was treated for cuts and bruises.

When Nix was arrested, he told officers: 'Can I take my bag, I'm going down for this'.

Guy Ayers, mitigating, said this was not some 'high-speed hit and run or anything like that' and described how witnesses described the incident as being at about 10mph.

He said it was a 'very low level impact' and then he 'drives off'.

Mr Ayers said the dangerous driving and assault 'cover the same incident' and said injuries sustained were slight.

Sentencing Nix to a total of 10 months in prison, Judge Peter Jacobs said despite the incident happening at slow speed, the officer could have been 'trapped under the car and become seriously injured or worse'.

Nix was also disqualified from driving for 12 months.