A POLICE officer had to jump out the way of a car to avoid being run over, a court in Salisbury heard.

Nicholas Wells, 27, of Eyres Way, Salisbury, pleaded guilty to dangerous driving , driving with no insurance and driving a motor vehicle otherwise in accordance with a licence at Salisbury Magistrates’ Court on Friday (October 2).

Ben Worthington, prosecuting, told the court that on September 30 last year police had been parked up when officers saw an Audi A6 turn sharply down Dairy Lane Close without indicating.

Officers decided to go and speak to the driver and pulled up near the Audi as it reversed by a resident’s parking space.

The court heard PC Boyland got out of the car and identified the driver as Wells. He walked towards the front of the Audi and Mr Worthington said as he did so the car shot forwards “causing the officer to have to jump out of the way”.

Mr Worthington told the court the officer said if he did not jump out of the way he would have been run over. The Audi then sped off and nearly hit the police car, the prosecution added.

Nick Redhead, defending Wells, said the incident had happened in the very early hours of the morning when there would not have been many people around.

The defendant did not have a full driving licence and decided to leave the scene when he spotted the police vehicle, making a ‘spur of the moment’ decision to drive off.

But Mr Redhead said the defendant was not aiming at the police and that was the “last thing on his mind” as he was trying to get away.

He added: “Police wanted to talk to him but he didn’t want to talk to them.”

He said the defendant had also pleaded guilty at the first opportunity.

The case was committed to the crown court for sentencing.

An interim driving disqualification was imposed and Wells was released on unconditional bail until the hearing on October 30.