TWO Northwich detectives thought they were going to die when a sex offender they were transporting on the M62 launched a horrific attack like a ‘caged animal’.

Christopher Hartley, 44, from Fartown in Huddersfield, was arrested by Cheshire Police on September 7, 2016, on suspicion of possession of indecent images.

On Tuesday, Leeds Crown Court heard that he was being taken to Cheshire for questioning when, near to Scammonden, he suddenly attacked DC Victoria Shelton as she was driving at 70mph in the fast lane, trying to crash the car.

He used the handcuffs he was wearing to hit her and also pushed her head against the window making it impossible for her to see as she struggled to control the Vauxhall Corsa.

She told the court she remembered him punching her and trying to gouge her eyes out all the while he was ‘screaming and shouting like a madman’.

Duncan Ritchie, prosecuting, said her colleague, DC David MacFarlane, who was in the back seat with Hartley, was desperately trying to restrain him.

DC Shelton managed to steer across three lanes of busy traffic and bring the car to a halt on the hard shoulder before Hartley, a convicted sex offender, turned his attentions to DC MacFarlane.

He climbed on top of him ‘screaming and growling’ and using his teeth began to gnaw on his right arm, the court was told.

As DC Shelton climbed over to help him, Hartley turned and spat a piece of her colleague’s flesh into her face before calming down.

Both officers spent months off work as a result of their injuries and DC Shelton is still having counselling.

In court, DC Shelton said she thought they were all going to die and she would never see her three daughters again.

She said in the days after the incident she had whiplash injuries and suffered nightmares.

“I can only see the evil face that tried to kill me coming towards me like a caged animal,” she said.

“It was the worst day of my life and I thought it would be the last day of my life.”

She said she had begged Hartley for her life during the attack but he ‘only hit me harder’.

“He came very close to his goal, it doesn’t bear thinking about what could have happened – it could have been pure carnage,” she said.

DC MacFarlane had to have surgery on his arm and has been left with ‘an unsightly scar’.

He also had to undergo HIV tests because a self-testing kit was found at Hartley’s home and it was three months before he found out he was in the clear.

Following his arrest, Hartley admitted to officers they would find indecent images in his possession.

Police later discovered 2,135 indecent still images and 282 movies.

Hartley was jailed for 14 years after he admitted two offences of attempting to inflict grievous bodily harm with intent, one of causing grievous bodily harm with intent, seven of possessing indecent images, one of possessing extreme pornography and breaching the Sexual Offences Prevention Order.

Judge James Spencer QC said when Hartley attacked DC Shelton as she was driving in the fast lane it was 'a mercy there was not some catastrophe'.

He said: “You behaved like an animal, you bit his arm so severely that you had blood on your face and skin in your mouth which you spat at the female officer and tried to gouge her eyes out. You were intent on causing serious harm to both of them.”

John Boumphrey representing Hartley that he had written letters to the officer apologising for his out of character 'moment of madness'.

Hartley had a previous conviction for indecent assault in 1997 and possessing and distributing indecent images in 2012.

Cheshire Police Ass Ch Con Nick Bailey said: "Police officers work extremely hard to protect the public on a daily basis and they do not deserve to be assaulted as they carry out their duties.　

"The sentence handed to Hartley today reflects the severity of this horrific attack and the trauma caused to the officers involved.　

"At the time of the incident both officers genuinely feared for their lives, and they are still recovering from what happened that day, both physically and emotionally.　

"Both of the officers have since returned to work and they are being supported through this difficult and traumatic time.　

"I would like to pass my sincere thanks to West Yorkshire Police for conducting this investigation and for assisting the officers when the incident occurred."

Ch Insp Simon Meegan paid tribute to the detectives.

He said: “This was a horrendous assault that could have resulted in serious injury or worse to both the detectives involved and the travelling public.  

"I would like to pay tribute to the determination and resilience of the officers involved in the days and months following the attack, and Hartley’s sentence rightly reflects the severity of the incident."

DS Zaheer Abbas, from Kirklees CID, said: "We welcome the sentence handed down to Hartley today; his actions on the day he was arrested were despicable and our colleagues from Cheshire police suffered serious injuries as a result.　

"Police officers do a difficult and dangerous job and it is completely unacceptable for any level of violence used against them as they are trying to do their job and keep our communities safe."