A MAN has been jailed for 15 months after fracturing a police officer’s leg in a struggle to resist arrest on a Bradford street.

Gary Mottram was chased by the constable when he fled from an address in the city he was banned from going to by a non-molestation order, Bradford Crown Court heard.

Mottram, 42, of Ashbourne Way, Bolton, Bradford, was seen hiding in the garden by a social worker on July 15 and had run off, prosecutor Laura McBride said.

He returned the following day and two police officers attended at the house.

Mottram escaped over a garden fence and was pursued along the street by the officer.

He tried to hide by lying in a patch of long grass but he was discovered and again made off with the constable chasing after him.

Mottram then fell and was PAVA sprayed. He tried to grab the spray and there was a struggle, Miss McBride said.

He was trying to get up and his weight knocked the officer down.

A member of the public came to help the officer and other members of the force raced to his assistance.

When Mottram had been handcuffed and detained, the officer realised he couldn’t feel his left foot. He had sustained a fractured left fibula and a dislocated ankle.

He needed surgery to insert plates into the injury and expected to be off work for ten weeks.

Mottram, who was on remand in HMP Nottingham, pleaded guilty to causing grievous bodily harm to the officer and to two attempted breaches of the non-molestation order.

His barrister, Howard Shaw, said he was deeply sorry for injuring the police officer. His basis of plea that it was reckless and not deliberate had been accepted by the Crown.

He was trying to escape and the last thing on his mind was causing any injury.

After he was PAVA sprayed he was having difficulty breathing and he lashed out and struggled.

Mr Shaw said the breakdown of Mottram’s relationship was temporary and the non-molestation order had been rescinded.

Recorder Paul Reid said Mottram was given a suspended sentence for breaching the order and assault occasioning actual bodily harm in June. Then he had twice returned to the address the following month.

The pursuing police officer had suffered an unexpected and unfortunate serious injury.

Mottram was jailed for eight months for causing grievous bodily harm, the six-month suspended sentence was activated and he was given a month’s jail for breaching the order, the sentences to run consecutively.