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A woman police officer bravely got back on her feet to help her colleagues - after having her leg broken in a vile racist and sexist attack.

Exeter Crown Court has heard how Daniel Forsythe broke Pc Safia Finlow's lower leg as he fought off five police officers who were trying to arrest him for breaking a restraining order.

He kicked out and she was thrown to the ground but managed to get up and bravely hobbled back to help her colleagues. Her fracture was only diagnosed later when she went to hospital.

The case attracted nationwide publicity after she posted a picture of herself in plaster on Twitter with the caption "A vile assault and racist abuse on duty. Now have broken leg, upset children, cancelled course."

The tweet carried the hash tag #protecttheprotectors and formed part of a campaign for better protection of police which was debated in parliament.

And in her victim impact statement she told the court: "My three children have been upset and affected. I am proudly independent but live in a flat three floors up without a lift. I can't drive and I'm finding it very difficult. I feel it is not acceptable I should be punished in this way."

He was jailed for a total of two years and five months by Judge Geoffrey Mercer, QC, at Exeter Crown Court and told that one year of the sentence was for his racial comments.

Pc Finlow is still on crutches more than a month after the attack and sat in the court as her assailant appeared by video link from Exeter Prison.

After he was jailed she said she was disappointed with the length of the sentence

At times he held his head in his hands and muttered 'sorry', but also interrupted the case to tell the prosecutor 'you ain't got your f***ing facts right'.

Forsythe is a drug addict with a long criminal record of 77 offences including previous assaults and an earlier racially aggravated incident.

He was stopped in the centre of Paignton because he had breached a restraining order four days earlier by defying a man on going to his 71-year-old mother Barbara's house in nearby Badgers Close.

He became violent as he was being detained by PCSO Stuart Douglas, and Pc Finlow was one of the officers who went to his assistance.

Forsythe, aged 32, of no fixed address, admitted racially aggravated assault causing grievous bodily harm in which he demonstrated hostility by referring to her presumed Pakistani heritage.

He also admitted breaking a restraining order and assault by beating of PCSO Douglas.

The judge told him:"You were arrested perfectly properly but lashed out with your feet against this one officer who was sent backwards and sustained a broken leg, from which she is still suffering.

"I have read her statement and this has quite clearly had an effect on her which continues and is considerable.

"Any assault on a police officer acting in the execution of their duty is a serious matter. It is made more serious because of the injury to her and because of the deeply offensive racial remarks you made when you did it."

Miss Amy Edinborough, prosecuting, said Forsythe was stopped by police on October 17 because he was wanted for questioning for breaking an order not to go to his mother's house.

He became violent and kicked out when Pc Finlow and four other officers were trying to restrain him on the ground.

Miss Edinborough said:"She was sent backwards and suffered a fracture to her left tibia. He called her a 'f***ing P***' and told her to go back to her own country. He also called her and other female officers 'slags'."

Pc Finlow is still off work sick and made a victim statement that said she had lost the opportunity to attend a public order course, which she has been waiting to go on for three years, and missed the opportunity to work with a student officer.

Mr Brian Fitzherbert, defending, said Forsythe reacted violently because he suffers from deep vein thrombosis and was in excruciating pain while being held on the ground.

He said:"He was in a lot of pain and reacted by lashing out. He seized on any way, physically or verbally, of venting his anger. He is sorry about her injuries and the distress he caused her."