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A career criminal who “mangled” a police sergeant’s leg in a stolen van will walk free after being found NOT GUILTY of any offence by a jury.

Martin Stowell , 35, who has a history of stealing vehicles, armed robbery and driving dangerously, admitted he had been behind the wheel of the Ford Transit Van and that he caused horrendous injuries to Sergeant James Morgan.

Sgt Morgan and his three colleagues, PCs Stephen Morris, Lee Duff and Matthew Bull, had approached the van on Hasfield Road, Norris Green , at 7.30pm on November 25, when a struggle ensued.

Stowell, of Queens Road, Everton , had told the jury he did not realise the van was stolen, that he did not realise the men were police officers and that he feared he was being attacked by a local gang.

The sergeant, who had been with Merseyside Police for 25 years, was left with the bone protruding through the skin of his left leg, a collapsed lung, and 15 rib fractures after the incident and has yet to return to work.

Sgt Morgan, watching from the public gallery with his wife, inhaled audibly and looked to the ceiling as the verdicts were announced today, while Stowell did not appear to react.

Outside the court room, he embraced the visibly upset PC Morris, who had witnessed his boss being dragged under the van.

Stowell was also cleared of being behind the wheel of another stolen vehicle the previous May, which rammed a patrol car and sped away from police at 100mph.

He had pleaded not guilty to causing GBH to Sgt Morgan with intent to resist arrest; causing serious injury by dangerous driving; aggravated vehicle taking; handling stolen goods and dangerous driving.

Stowell said on the night he had gone to buy cannabis from an associate in the area, who asked him to help release the spare wheel on a van.

He said they struggled to release it and the man suggested Stowell wait in the cabin to keep warm while he went to get the drugs.

(Image: Julian Hamilton/Daily Mirror)

The jury heard during that time the man had also mentioned a “group of males” who had been driving around the Norris Green area in a van assaulting people.

He claimed he was told they were the same people who had tried to run him over in April that year, causing scrapes and cuts.

Stowell told the jury: “I just remember being on my phone, I don’t remember what I was doing but I was looking at the screen.

“While I was on the phone I just remember someone screaming ‘go’, when I have looked up, at the first glance I saw the lights of a big vehicle, I have heard ‘go’ and I have put the van in reverse.”

Stowell said he never heard anyone shout police and had been punched by PC Bull, causing him to duck his head and preventing him from looking at the four officers.

Under questioning from Lloyd Morgan, defending, Sgt Morgan and his colleague, PC Stephen Morris, said they could not specifically remember shouting ‘police’, but said that was what they had been trained to do. Nicholas Walker, prosecuting, pointed out that the officers had been wearing standard issue caps with Police emblazoned above the peak, and that they had parked in front of Stowell in a bright yellow Matrix van.

The jury heard Stowell’s lengthy record included 10 convictions for aggravated vehicle taking, seven for theft of a vehicle and 14 for driving while disqualified.

Two of the incidents involved high speed chases with police, and one involved a collision.

Sgt Morgan broke down as he described the moment he realised he was being dragged under the wheels of the van.

He told the jury: “It was just a point of utter despair. It felt like going down a plug hole; just getting sucked down. I could feel myself getting drawn under this wheel, my leg was pulling me under.

“I felt a big impact with the door as I have gone under. I could feel the blow of the door, getting sucked under and I can just feel mangling then of my leg. I’m not quite sure what happened then.”

Following the verdicts Mr Morgan asked for his client to be discharged and released from custody.

Merseyside Police have been approached for comment.