A POLICE officer said he can no longer hug his children after being dragged along the ground by a man who fled when stopped by the constable.

Mohammed Reza Manafi Tarki, 43, of Surrey Road, Bournemouth, was stopped in Langley Road, Poole, on April 29 last year by PC Burton.

The defendant, who was driving with a provisional licence, without insurance, without an MOT, with fake number plates, and while the vehicle was SORN, then gave fake details to the officer before driving off, knocking PC Mark Burton to the ground.

And Tarki, who pleaded guilty to the offences, was given an immediate prison sentence at Bournemouth Crown Court on February 1.

Prosecuting, Edmund Blackman said: “The officer walked up to the side of the vehicle. The defendant gave a name which was Hamid Manafi.

“The officer was not satisfied with the information and believed there is a man called Hamid who had a piercing in his left ear.

“He asked to see his left ear, it was at that point the defendant drove off. Police officer got tangled up, pulled along and tumbled to the ground. He suffered cuts and grazes and scrapes to his hands, elbow and leg.”

Reading Mr Burton’s victim impact statement, Mr Blackman said: “I am aware PC Harper was dragged to his death by a motor vehicle.

“I have viewed dashcam footage, I am aware how fortunate I was. I am a father of three young children, and the aftermath of this as affected my family and me.

“I am having to seek further medical advice because the pain is not going away. I have been unable to pick up my children when they want a hug.”

Tarki also had previous convictions of driving with excess alcohol in 2005, rape in the same year and driving with an incorrect licence in 2017.

Mitigating, Lucy Morell said an immediate prison sentence would have a significant affect on Tarki’s son, who is severely autistic, the defendant suffered from depression and had lost his sister and father to Covid-19.

Passing sentence, Judge Stephen Climie said: “The police officer approached the Range Rover, there is no doubt that the police officer was leaning into the car when you decided you were going to leave the scene.

“You drove away and the police officer was dragged a distance of 10, or 20, or 30 yards, he fell to the ground and you drove off, that was dangerous driving.

“The police officer was executing his duty on behalf of the public. One of the things that caused the officer in this case particular concern is that in the preceding months, PC Andrew Harper was dragged to his death by people making away.”

Judge Climie said he would make all the sentences for the other offences concurrent with the dangerous driving, saying the “multiplicity of offending” was an aggravating factor.

Tarki was sentenced to six months in prison and disqualified from driving for three years.