A police officer was dragged along the road by a stolen Amazon van after a thief brazenly seized the wheel in a bid to escape. 

Danny Smith, 29, stole the vehicle just seconds after the driver had got out to deliver a parcel in St Helens, Merseyside, on January 23. 

Footage played to Liverpool Crown Court shows the moment PC Javier Bueno-Matilla exits a police car to pursue the thief.

The white van can be seen coming towards the police car as the two vehicles meet on a cul de sac.

As the officer runs towards the van, Smith reverses and even allows the rear wheels to mount the curb.

He then accelerates the van towards the police car and, only just realising what is unfolding, PC Bueno-Matilla smacks the side of the moving vehicle.

Once Smith has crashed into the front of the officer's car, the cop attempts to get into the van but the thief reverses at pace.

PC Bueno-Matilla is then dragged along the tarmac for around 40 yards, in an ordeal which he later admitted left him 'terrified for my life'.

Once the van has reversed as far as it can, the officer is able to get into the driver's seat as Smith attempts to drive the vehicle forward once again.

It smashes into the police car violently, sending it shunting back several yards as PC Bueno-Matilla and the thief grapple in the cockpit.

The officer takes control of the wheel from Smith before being helped out by two colleagues.

The thief was jailed for 45 months and banned from driving for 52 months after pleading guilty in an earlier hearing to Actual Bodily Harm (ABH), theft, dangerous driving, driving while disqualified, failing to provide a specimen and driving without insurance.

Smith failed a roadside drugs test and refused to provide a blood sample, saying he 'didn't want any needles putting into him'.

In a statement, PC Bueno said: 'I accept that policing carries risks but what happened on January 23 was beyond anything that I should be expected to face.'

He described feeling 'terrified for my life' and said it was 'just pure luck I walked away with only minor injuries'.

The officer added: 'There are so many small details that could have gone wrong that day, the fact none of them came to pass is out of chance.'

He said the ordeal has left him with ongoing anxiety and flashbacks - and has taken a toll on his pregnant wife.

PC Bueno said: 'She tries to stay calm but I can see the worry in her, I know she is anxious when I leave for work.

'She shouldn't have to carry it, it should be a happy and exciting time.

'My wife said the thought of raising my children alone crosses her mind, it is not something an expecting mother should have to think about.'

Sentencing Smith, Judge William Beardmore said: 'You deliberately chose to use that vehicle as a weapon.

'You continued to drive despite your clear awareness of the police officer's perilous situation.

'PC Bueno said (how) he might have been seriously injured or killed by your actions.

'Only chance or good fortune prevented catastrophic consequences of your behaviour.'

The judge added: 'This wasn't a momentary lapse, in my judgement it was a sustained deliberate and highly dangerous course of conduct.

'You had complete disregard for his (PC Bueno's) safety or of anyone else's in the vicinity at the time.'

Judge Beardmore said Smith had set out a 'false narrative' and claimed he was 'hearing voices' on the day of the incident.

He added: 'You said you took the van just to drive it around, the only sensible conclusion is you told a pack of lies to the probation officer about your motivation for what you did.'