Unconscious woman stripped, drugged and sexually assaulted in GMP custody

By Newsdesk

A woman has come forward to speak out on the abuse and assault she had to face during her time in the custody of Greater Manchester Police (GMP).

Recordings captured from within Zayna Iman’s cell depict her being unconscious and forced to lie face down on a mattress, following which officers proceeded to remove her jeans, cut off her underwear, and take off her top and bra.

In the early hours of February 5, 2021, police forcefully entered her residence and apprehended her after she accidentally knocked the glasses off a female officer’s face.

Officers said they were following doing a welfare check after being notified of a woman high on cocaine.

Over the next 40 hours, 38-year-old Iman was held at the Greater Manchester police station, however it has been reported over three hours of footage from that day are missing.

She told Sky News, “Instead of providing an unconscious female with medical attention they thought, ‘I know let’s take her clothes off instead and leave her there’.

“It’s just something that the police do for their own perverse kicks.”

Iman’s claim is substantiated by her medical records, which provide evidence of sexual assault. Additionally, she has expressed her concerns to Martin Harding, a former GMP chief superintendent, who has reviewed the available footage and noted significant disparities with the custody log, thus affirming the credibility of her allegations.

“I believe she was raped. I believe she was raped by an officer and I believe the organisation is covering it up,” he told Sky News.

While GMP has not offered an explanation for the missing footage, they assert that there is no evidence to indicate any employee’s involvement in misconduct or committing a criminal offense.

Iman’s recollections are incomplete, prompting her to request the footage of her detention and custody logs through a subject access request. This type of request allows individuals to obtain personal information held by an organisation.

A Sky News investigation found ‘three significant gaps’ for GMP’s failure to provide the footage.

The first incident occurred shortly after Iman’s arrest at 1:53 am.

According to police bodycam footage, she was placed into the back of a police van at 1:59 am, and it is alleged that she passed out during that time.

The expected duration of the journey to the police station was 10 minutes. However, Iman is not seen again until nearly 90 minutes later when she is carried into the cell, appearing unconscious.

She is carried by three female officers, while a male officer briefly stands near her cell door before leaving.

During this period, a fourth female officer assists in what Iman describes as a strip search. The police, however, contend that her clothes were removed and replaced with anti-rip garments due to welfare concerns.

Mr Harding strongly objects to the alleged strip search and sees “no justification at all” for it and there is nothing on the custody record to explain the grounds or that it was carried out at all.

“She’s left face down, when they suspect she might have had a drugs overdose so where is the duty of care?” Harding questions.

At just after 5 am, Iman discovers a top left for her to wear while lying on a blue mat and being covered by a blanket. By 5:34 am, she is seen sitting with her hands to her head, coinciding with the time indicated in the police log for her medical examination. Despite this, no one is observed entering the cell on the CCTV footage, and she remains in the same spot for the entire hour.

The second gap identified in the footage was after Iman is seen seated on a bench, with a blanket pulled up over her knees, and a drink placed beside her. At 9:49 am, she becomes visibly agitated, hurling the cup across the room. She then looks up at the camera in a distressed state, pressing her hands to her face.

Alarming developments occur as she reappears at 11 am, now without a top and visibly agitated. She displays unusual behaviour, hitting her head with her hands and gesturing with her arms. In a concerning manner, she exhibits sexually suggestive actions, running her right hand through her long dark hair.

For the following 26 hours, Iman remains unclothed. The custody log records nine instances of her being deemed unfit for detention, yet she continues to be held. At one point, she stands on the bench, draped in a blanket, and points to what appears to be blood on the surface between her feet.