A man has been sentenced for ramming into police cars and attacking officers with a hammer and an axe in Timperley and Wythenshawe.

At Minshull Street Crown Court on Tuesday (October 17), Theadro Douglas of Stratfield Avenue, Brooklands, was sentenced after pleading guilty to dangerous driving, unlawful wounding, assaulting an emergency worker, affray and two counts possessing offensive weapons.

At 11.50pm on June 7 this year, Douglas, 32, drove his white van into a police vehicle on Mainwood Road, Timperley, causing whiplash injuries to the driver, before speeding off.

Officers followed him to nearby Broomwood Road, where Douglas got out of his van, and as the officers got out of their vehicle, Douglas approached them armed with a hammer and an axe.

An officer drew his Taser and instructed Douglas to drop the weapons, but he threw the hammer towards them.

The hammer hit one officer on the shin, leaving them with an injury which required stitches, before it ricocheted and hit a second officer below the knee, causing a lump and bruising.

Douglas then ran off and as he was chased by the officers, he threw the axe at them, which missed.

Douglas returned to his van and led four police vehicles on a 20-minute pursuit through Timperley and into Wythenshawe.

He drove on the pavement, on the wrong side of the road, through red lights and rammed more police vehicles.

Eventually, the pursuit ended on Simonsway, Wythenshawe, when officers boxed in the van.

Before he was arrested, Douglas pushed an officer over the bonnet of a police car, causing them to suffer a back and leg injury.

He then fought with officers until four of them eventually managed to restrain him.

Judge Matthew Corbett-Jones sentenced Douglas to two years and six months in prison, while he has also been disqualified from driving for three years and three months.

Risha Seth, Senior Crown Prosecutor for the Crown Prosecution Service North West said: "Theadro Douglas carried out a campaign of unprovoked violent attacks upon police officers who were simply carrying out their jobs.

"He used his van as a weapon deliberately ramming police vehicles, he led officers on a dangerous chase through residential streets and attacked them with a hammer and an axe.

"Four officers were on the receiving end of his violence that evening, and it is by chance alone that none of them were seriously injured.

"An assault on any individual in our society is a terrible thing, but an assault on an emergency worker is an assault on us all. We will continue to work closely with the police to bring anyone who commits such appalling offences before the courts."