Appeal by injured PC's husband

A 26-YEAR-OLD man is due to appear before magistrates in Leicester today, accused of aggravated vehicle-taking, while police seek a second man in connection with an incident in which a female police officer suffered spinal injuries when crushed and run over by a stolen car.

The husband of Deborah Mummery, 31, yesterday urged the public to help police trace the second man.

PC Mummery was injured after she and a female colleague had cornered the stolen Vauxhall Astra in Oadby, Leicester, late on New Year's Eve after a chase. As she approached the car, it was reversed, knocking her down, and then driven over her.

The car was found a short time later about five miles from the scene. Yesterday, at a news conference at Leicester police headquarters, Paul Mummery, 33, a civilian police worker, appealed for help in tracing a second man.

He said: 'She never, in all her service, thought, or could believe, that somebody could do this to a police officer.'

The couple, who met when Deborah was a cadet, have been married for eight years and have two young children. 'I know that when she is better she will want to be back in the Force, and if that is what she wants then I am happy with that,' Mr Mummery added.

Doctors at Leicester Royal Infirmary are waiting for swelling around PC Mummery's injuries to subside before giving a verdict on long-term damage.

But a hospital spokeswoman said yesterday that PC Mummery was able to move her feet and legs, 'so we're hopeful'.