A POLICEMAN who continued to chase a car criminal despite being knocked, out, kicked on the floor and bitten has been praised by a senior officer.

PC John Hine was subjected to the attack by petty thief Marlan Davis, 33, after he was spotted tampering with a car in the driveway of a house in Long Lane, Finchley, last August.

When the officers stopped to speak to Davis, of Springfield Avenue, Muswell Hill, he ran off, but was found by PC Hine hiding in a bush. After another struggle he managed to escape.

The policeman chased him, but Davis suddenly turned and punched him in the face, knocking him out cold.

When he came round he found the thief kicking him, but still managed to get up and chase him again, before Davis stopped and put his hand on his pocket, threatening to stab the officer.

PC Hine backed off, but when Davis ran again he chased him, despite being hit in the head with a rubbish recycling box thrown at him, and tried to spray him with CS spray which had no effect.

Eventually he caught up with Davis, who then bit his arm violently in his desperation to escape, but was eventually able to detain him until his colleague arrived.

A search of the bush Davis had been hiding in revealed a stolen sat nav, which he claimed to have bought in a pub, and he said he used the box to put a “safety gap” between the pair.

PC Hine said: “As they were putting me in the ambulance I asked my colleagues to check his fingerprints, because I thought he must have been wanted for something really serious the way he fought to escape.

“This was the worst violence I have encountered in nine years of policing. There was at least ten minutes of intense struggle to arrest this man - I have never been more exhausted - but getting him convicted makes it seem worthwhile.”

He added: “I was just determined that he would not get away, I have never lost a prisoner and I did not want to start now. “I still carry the scar of his bite on my arm and it does make me more aware of what can go wrong, but it will not change the way I carry out my duties.”

Superintendent Neil Seabridge said: “When I hear of the professionalism and dedication to duty of officers like PC Hine it makes me very proud.

“We are lucky to have officers who are totally committed to making Barnet borough safe through tackling criminality.

“I think our residents can take heart that they have officers with such courage and determination patrolling their streets.”

On Thursday Davis was given a six month jail sentence suspended for 18 months and told to complete 150 hours of community service and pay £500 compensation to PC Hine at Wood Green Crown Court.