Clacton: Handbag thief escapes jail
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A getaway driver who dragged a police community support officer along the road as he tried to escape has been spared jail.
PCSO Wayne Burke was holding the legs of a burglar who had stolen a handbag from a charity shop in Clacton when Paul Finch, 38, started driving away.
Yesterday, Finch was given a one-year prison sentence, suspended for two years, after admitting burglary, common assault and dangerous driving.
The drug addict was also banned from driving for a year and given a two-year supervision order, which will involve twice-weekly drugs tests.
Southend Crown Court heard Finch, of Uplands Court, Clacton, and his accomplice went to the town centre on June 10.
Finch waited while the other man stole a handbag from an upstairs office of Help the Aged in Station Road.
When the assistant manager realised what had happened, she gave chase, alerting two nearby police officers at the same time.
They followed the man down an alley and to a car park where Finch had parked his car.
The police officer, PC Tanya Sampson, tried to get the keys out of the ignition, and Finch assaulted her by pushing her arms away and slapping her.
PCSO Burke clung to the legs of the other man, which were sticking out of the car, and Finch drove away. Finch says he knew his accomplice was not fully in the car, but not that PCSO Burke was holding on to them.
PCSO Burke was off work for three-and-a-half weeks with whiplash, bruises and cuts to his face.
While he was off work, he received more than 200 messages of support from well-wishers in the town, which persuaded him to return to the beat.
9:36am today