A DANGEROUS driver who knocked over a police officer has been jailed after pleading guilty to dangerous driving.

Nicholas Clark, aged 31, of Brynglas, Hollybush, Cwmbran, was sentenced at Newport Crown Court after admitting “serious offences”.

He pleaded guilty to the aggravated vehicle taking of a Volkswagen Golf, dangerous driving, failing to stop for a police officer and driving without insurance on April 20.

The dangerous driving charge relates to an incident in Newport’s Wharf Road when a police officer was “knocked over”.

It was said in mitigation that Clark had pleaded guilty to the offences

The court heard that the defendant, by admitting his guilt, was also in breach of a suspended jail sentence.

That suspended prison term was imposed in January 2018 at Worcester Crown Court for possessing cannabis with intent to supply and possessing a class A drug.

For the dangerous driving and aggravated vehicle taking offences, Judge Jeremy Jenkins jailed Clark for a total of nine months.

There were no separate penalties for failing to stop for a police officer and for driving without insurance.

But the defendant was jailed for an additional three months for being in breach of his 2018 suspended prison sentence.

Clark was also banned from driving for two years and six months and told he must pay a victim surcharge of £140 within three months of his release from custody.

The court heard the defendant had spent 36 days it total on an electronically-tagged curfew between 8pm and 8am which means that 18 days will be counted towards time behind bars.