This is the moment police used a Taser to bring down a long-time troublemaker and law-breaker who has terrorised the streets of Plymouth.

A judge today dismissed promises that notorious yob Darren Carter-Moore would go straight and seek help for his addiction, saying his attempts at convincing a probation officer of his sincerity "hasn't made the cut".

Career criminal Carter-Moore, aged 31, sitting in the dock at Plymouth Crown Court spent much of the sentencing hearing leering and grinning inanely at the lead investigator in the case, Det Con Pablo Beckhurst, as prosecutor Emily Cook outlined the case to Judge Paul Darlow.

Carter-Moore, of no fixed abode, was arrested on June 2 after he left a trail of destruction in Manor Street, Stonehouse.

A strip-search at the police station found two wraps of heroin "concealed under his foreskin".

(Image: Devon and Cornwall Police)

He had previously pleaded guilty at Plymouth Magistrates' Court for dangerous driving, aggravated vehicle taking, driving whilst disqualified, damaging property, possession of a class A drugs, failing to provide a sample and driving without insurance.

The court heard how a VW Transporter worth £12,000 was stolen from outside a house in Constantine Street, Greenbank on the evening of May 30 after keys went missing the week beforehand.

The vehicle also contained around £3,000 worth of tools.

At around 2.37am on Sunday June 2, a single-crewed officer Pc Bishop spotted the black VW Transporter in Manor Street, described as a dead-end street.

Using his marked Vauxhall Astra he positioned the his car to try and block the VW Transporter in, but Carter-Moore, who was driving the vehicle, reversed it into the police car.

A second Vauxhall Astra police car arrived, with two officers Pc Dolling and Pc Hughes, and they also tried to position their car to prevent the VW Transporter leaving. However, Carter-Moore drove forward smashing into the second police car and hitting the side of a parked silver Peugeot 206.

By this stage Pc Dolling recognised Carter-Moore and his passenger, Brian Gunningham, who leapt from his seat and ran off down the street.

(Image: Devon and Cornwall Police)

Police BodyWorn Camera footage and CCTV footage from the South Western Ambulance Service Trust ambulance was shown in court tracking every moment of the dramatic incident.

At one stage the footage shows Carter-Moore yelping as he is Tasered for around five seconds. During his first appearance at Plymouth Magistrates Court, he bitterly remarked: "They Tasered me for a minute. It's true though innit."

Watch as Carter-Moore rams an ambulance and police car before being arrested

As magistrates later explained during the same hearing that Carter-Moore he would be remanded into custody due to him having eight convictions for failing to surrender and attempts at trying to get away from police, Carter-Moore angrily asked: "What does a police officer get for Tasering me for a minute, when it's only meant to be five second intervals? You lot are a law to yourselves."

(Image: Devon and Cornwall Police)

He then turned and stomped down the stairs toward the cells, dragging a custody officer with him, as the chairman of the bench continued talking to him.

Lee Smith, driving the ambulance, saw what was happening and also tried to block the road – but the court heard how Carter-Moore used the stolen two-and-a-half tonne VW Transporter "as a ram", smashing it into a parked vehicle before slamming into the ambulance.

(Image: Devon and Cornwall Police)

Pc Dolling and Hughes were forced to climb out of their police car via the passenger seat door and by this stage Carter-Moore revved the VW’s engine and drove forward, with smoke billowing out of its engine compartment.

All three officers positioned themselves around the van as one smashed the side window and ordered Carter-Moore to halt, before Tasering him. The 31-year-old, whom the court heard had 41 convictions for 99 offences during his criminal career, was then pulled from the driver's door and handcuffed by officers.

(Image: Devon and Cornwall Police)

Prosecutor Emily Cook explained that in the following minutes Carter-Moore appeared erratic and under-the-influence of some substance, in turns raging and then crying.

At one point he told Pc Dolling that if he was on his own he would "spark him clean out, even being on f****** smack and crack". He also called the officers a "f****** pr***" and a "f****** kn*b".

The court previously heard how he told Pc Bishop "it's a game, you got me this time".

In a victim impact statement read out in court one of the officers described the incident as "one of the most traumatic moments of my policing career - I honestly believed I was going to come to some serious harm".

(Image: Devon and Cornwall Police)

The court was also told the repair bill included £1,378 for one police car, £4,207 for the other police car, £2,983 for the ambulance and £9,500 for the VW Transporter.

The grey Peugeot was entirely written off.

After being taken to Charles Cross police station custody suite Carter-Moore was strip searched whereupon officers found two wraps of heroin "concealed under his foreskin", amounting to 0.97 grams, with a street value of £97.

Police have since revealed that this came in two packages - one wrapped in cling-film while the other saw tin-foil used to wrap a quantity of the heroin.

(Image: Devon and Cornwall Police)

The court also heard that Carter-Moore refused to be breathalysed or provide a sample and when he was taken the charge room he punched the perspex screen protecting a computer, damaging it.

He replied "no comment" throughout his interview.

In mitigation, his advocate Katie Churcher said Carter-Moore had pleaded guilty and since he had been on remand was "scripted" - meaning that he had a prescription for a heroin substitute.

(Image: Devon and Cornwall Police)

However, Judge Darlow calmly noted that the pre-sentence report showed that Carter-Moore "hasn't made the cut".

Attempting to highlight Carter-Moore's positives, Ms Churcher said there was no risk to life during the incident.

She also noted how the 31-year-old's latest partner had been rushed into hospital the day prior to his court hearing and had borne him a daughter - although she was not due until October. As a result, the child was premature and very underweight and would need constant medical care for the next few months.

She said Carter-Moore had promised he would go to the Harbour drug and rehabilitation centre, despite accepting that the Probation Service's recommendation "hasn't come back more positive". She added that the birth of his daughter - his first with his current partner, although Judge Darlow noted he already had two daughters with another woman - was his motivation to stay off illicit substances which had fuelled his criminality.

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Judge Darlow noted Carter-More had a long history of offences - including theft of vehicles, dangerous driving, driving without a licence, driving while disqualified - as well as drug-related convictions.

He said: "You have an appalling record. I had hoped that there might be some prospect of going down the non-custodial route, some prospect that a DRR [Drug Rehabilitation Requirement] would be successful."

(Image: Devon and Cornwall Police)

However, he noted how the organisations which run such programmes did not consider Carter-Moore "suitable".

Judge Darlow said that in total he would send Carter-Moore to a total of 26 months for his offences and disqualify him for four years and one month. In addition he would have to pay a victim surcharge of £170.

As he was cuffed and led towards the cells, a woman at the back of court shouted "Love you Bro", to which Carter-Moore mumbled "yes mate".