Jail for man who ran down a police officer

Robbie Richards was sentenced at Napier Court for injuring a police officer with a vehicle. 28 January 2016 NEWS Hawke's Bay Today Photograph by Duncan Brown.

Napier man Robert "Robbie" James Richards has today been sentenced to seven and a half years imprisonment for "deliberately and callously" driving into a police officer at a midnight check point.

At Napier District Court Judge Bridget Mackintosh handed down the sentence saying it reflected the "aggravating features" of what Richards did.

She also took into account the 30 year-old's blemished history.

The sentence was uplifted to a further six months for the charge of willful damage.

In December, after just two hours of deliberating a jury returned their guilty verdict for the charge of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.

Richards had already pleaded guilty to another charge of damaging a car.

Constable Adam Blummont received concussion, a broken leg and facial cuts and scrapes when Richards accelerated and swerved to hit him.

Almost one year later he was still recovering and had not returned to work in its full capacity.

Richards turned into Farndon Rd off State Highway 2 on December 19, 2014 as the booze bus was set up north of the Clive Bridge. He wanted to avoid police because he had an unrelated warrant out for his arrest.