A HIT and run driver deliberately rammed his car into a man on a Greenock street and also left a female police officer scarred for life in a bottle attack.

Michael Robb revved the engine of his BMW and drove at a taxi driver, throwing the cabbie into the air until he thudded down on his back in the middle of the road at 1.30am.

Robb, 26, went on to smash a bottle into the woman PC to her severe injury and permanent disfigurement after she defended herself from multiple attempted blows to her head.

He is today behind bars after receiving a three-year prison sentence from a sheriff who branded the level of violence shown in both attacks as 'awful'.

Lawman Andrew McIntyre said: "Each assault could have been much worse — to use a car and a bottle as weapons could have grave consequences."

Robb drove his car into the cabbie on Lynedoch Street following a dispute over who was to blame for a minor collision minutes earlier.

Greenock Sheriff Court heard how the victim was out of his car and on the phone to police whilst trying to read the private registration number of the BMW when he was struck.

Procurator fiscal Fiona Holligan said: "The accused drove at the witness, who hit the bonnet of the car and landed on his back.

"Police arrived to find him lying in the middle of the road, complaining of back pain."

In a separate incident, officers were called to another early hours street disturbance on Roxburgh Way involving Robb and someone else.

The female PC was forced to draw her baton in order to deflect attempted bottle strikes from Robb.

Fiscal Mrs Holligan said: "The accused held the neck of the bottle in his right hand and raised his right arm.

"There were two baton strikes on the accused, which had no impact on him.

"The accused repeatedly attempted to strike the officer on the head with the bottle."

The court heard that Robb managed to inflict a cut to one of the officer's arms which had to be stitched.

The assaults occurred on April 7 and June 14 respectively.

When he was cautioned and charged over the car attack, Robb replied: "I thought he was coming at me with a bat."

His lawyer, David Tod, told the court: "Mr Robb is well aware of what is going to happen to him.

"After the first incident a call went out on the taxi network and a number of drivers arrived.

"Mr Robb felt threatened and he made a very poor decision in trying to leave.

"I have no instruction to mitigate the assault on the police officer."

As well as imposing the three year prison sentence, backdated to when Robb was first remanded in custody on June 17, Sheriff McIntyre also banned him from driving for 54 months.

The sheriff said: "People want to go about their business and duties safe in the knowledge that they will not be subjected to the awful violence you perpetrated."