Unlicensed Melbourne driver who broke police officer's leg avoids jail

An unlicensed driver who broke a police officer's leg, saying he couldn't see the cop in front of him because his car windows were fogged up with cannabis smoke, has avoided jail.

Benjamin Saurini, 21, has been sentenced to a two-year community corrections order before the County Court of Victoria following the incident in July 2019.

Saurini had been pulled over by a police officer on a dark road in Sunbury, in Melbourne's northwestern suburbs, when he hit the officer.

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Saurini told the court he panicked after being pulled over and went to drive off, which led to him pinning Senior Constable Rohan Brown against his vehicle.

The police officer suffered a broken leg which then became infected, nearly killing him.

Saurini took the charges against him to trial, where he was acquitted of the most serious charges, which would have led to mandatory jail time.

However, the jury found him guilty of the charge of negligently causing serious injury.

Saurini has also been banned from driving for the next two years.