A POLICE officer feared he was going to die when a car was driven at him on the Eastern Bypass, a court has heard.

PC John Birch said he was convinced Fares Hakim was going to run him over after he stopped him at the Rose Hill roundabout on April 23 on suspicion of stealing petrol.

Hakim, 31, of Gaisford Road in Oxford, went on trial yesterday [9/2] at Oxford Crown Court accused of one count of dangerous driving.

The court heard a police community support officer travelling in another car driven by a police constable had spotted Hakim's Smart car driving on the Eastern Bypass near the junction with Horspath Driftway.

Jurors were told the PCSO identified it as a vehicle which was suspected of involvement in an incident of bilking- where a person drives off without paying for petrol- and the marked patrol car followed it.

The court heard the officer driving the car requested back-up from traffic officers as she followed Hakim's vehicle along the road and PC Birch and a colleague responded, coming up beside the Smart car at Rose Hill roundabout as it was stuck in traffic.

PC Birch told the court he walked to the front of the vehicle when Hakim drove the car at him.

He said: "He drove forward hitting my shins so I jumped back.
"He then reversed three or four yards and then came back towards me.
"I thought he was going to run me over and kill me."

The court heard that before the car had a chance to drive towards PC Birch again, a lorry in another lane at the roundabout drove into it and blocked it from driving off.

PC Birch said he and a colleague smashed the windows of the car with their batons in an attempt to stop Hakim from driving and arrest him and at one point PC Birch climbed through the driver's side window.

He said with they assistance of his colleague he eventually managed to get Hakim out of the car and arrest him after a struggle which saw the defendant punch the police officer in the face.

PC Birch told the court he punched Hakim four or five times as a "distraction" before his colleague sprayed the defendant with pepper spray and incapacitated him.

Ronan McCann, defending, told PC Birch the entire incident was a result of a "complete misunderstanding" and that the car only drove towards the officer after pepper spray was deployed.

He said: "I am going to say only at that time the car started to move.

"At no point prior to that did it move.

"It was just an accident as a result of the melee. 

"There was no intention to drive the car.

"The incident could easily have been avoided and was just a result of a complete misunderstanding."

PC Birch replied: "That is incorrect.

"It could have been avoided if Hakim had cooperated with us but given his actions it could not have been avoided."

The court heard no further action had been taken against Hakim for the allegation of bilking.

The trial continues.