THE officer who would not let her violent and dangerous attacker get away has been praised at the last Chief Constable’s Awards of the year.

PC Michelle Harris was on patrol responding to a request to carry out a search in Basingstoke for a man who was suspected of burglary.

While out on patrol on her own in Stravinsky Road, Hatch Warren, she spotted a man matching the description and walked over to him. However, he immediately spun around and without warning attacked with a glass bottle, striking her over the head four or five times.

As she tried to put some distance between herself and her attacker, Ashley Shay, he continued to come towards her, armed with the bottle. She was soon joined by a colleague, at which point Shay turned around to reveal a claw hammer.

Shay headed towards a woodland area but was soon detained once back-up had arrived and was sentenced to 24 months for ABH.

Chief Constable Olivia Pinkney had the honour of presenting the awards at the ceremony along with the Lord-Lieutenant Nigel Atkinson.

Chief Constable Pinkney said: “This ceremony has been a great way of looking back on the year and recognising those who have really gone above and beyond to make our communities safer.”