A grandma has been left with a black eye after being punched to the ground by a police officer.
Colleen Murphy’s son was being arrested for drunk and disorderly behaviour by police outside Sainsbury’s with his screaming children watching on.
He had gone inside with his sister Danielle, to get some snacks for the little ones and a couple of beers.
READ MORE: Man lost both parents and his brother to Covid in seven days
Meanwhile, his cousin and mum, getting cash outside, had been refused entry into the Oldham Supermarket.
Greater Manchester Police said they had been called to reports of a “disturbance” on Union Street at around 9pm.
But as the commotion unfolded, onlookers gathered around to watch on and now footage from the scene has gone viral on social media.
Danielle Willisford told the Manchester Evening News what happened on Saturday night, explaining that security had ‘barred’ her cousin and mum from going into the store.
(Image: Danielle Willisford)
She said: “Me and my brother came out with a few beers and something for the kids to eat and we were getting told what had gone on – they couldn’t go in and anyway the police turned up.
“They come over and my brother said ‘right we’ve sorted the situation you don’t need to be here’.
“They started saying we’re all barred, my brother said ‘what do you mean I’m barred, I’ve just come out of Sainsbury’s and we weren’t told we were barred. We did nothing wrong – just went shopping’.
“My brother goes to the security guard ‘I’m not barred, am I?’ and there were three policemen: one woman and two men.
“He stepped into Sainsbury’s and then the policeman in the yellow top said ‘you are barred, I just told you, you are barred’ and then started shouting and my brother just said ‘will you please get out of my face I’ve done nothing wrong’.
“Anyway, he grabbed him and flung him onto the floor and the full video is what happened after that.”
In the video, police bat away people nearby as they pin his head to the ground.
A woman in a long grey cardigan walks over and the police officer stands up, taking a swing at her head before she falls backwards.
Colleen Murphy has been left with a black eye and bruises after being punched by police
(Image: Danielle Willisford)
Danielle said: “So my mum as he has punched my brother in the head has walked over and said ‘you’re hurting him, stop hurting my son’. She’s a touchy-feely person and she was under the influence of alcohol. The way he hit her, he could have killed her.
“She’s got a massive lump on her head and bruise on the side of her face. She’s 50 years old. He’s flung her, for nothing. She went over and touched his head, she’s panicking, obviously, she shouldn’t have touched him.”
In the two-minute-long clip, the police officer demands the man ‘stand up’ several times before dragging him across the car park on his back with his hands gripped by the police officer.
Greater Manchester Police say that the incident has now been referred to its Professional Standards Department and the team there will look at the body-worn video of the events leading up to his arrest – along with this footage.
Danielle’s brother was given a fine for being drunk and disorderly but she says the children have been left traumatised.
She said: “The children now don’t want to be involved with the police because they are scared to death of them. They were crying, saying they shouldn’t hit people like grandma. It were disgusting.
“They’ve seen my mum go flying, they hit her like she was in a boxing ring. My mum did not deserve that at all. It shouldn’t be like that.”
Colleen also has a lump on her head
(Image: Danielle Willisford)
Get the latest updates from across Greater Manchester direct to your inbox with the free MEN newsletter
You can sign up very simply by following the instructions here
In a statement, a police spokesperson said: “Greater Manchester Police are aware of a video circulating online which shows an altercation between officers and a member of the public whilst a man is being arrested.
“This incident took place after police were called just after 9pm on 7 August and responded to a report of a disturbance on Union Street, Oldham.
“A 31-year old-male was subsequently arrested for being drunk and disorderly.
“At the time of his arrest a crowd had gathered, and footage of the incident has been uploaded onto social media.
“The footage shows an altercation with members of the public attempting to intervene, while officers placed the man under arrest.
“The man received a fixed penalty notice (FPN) for being drunk and disorderly. There were no injuries reported.
“The incident has been referred to our Professional Standards Department, who will review the Body Worn Video of events leading up to the arrest, along with the footage posted.
“Enquiries are ongoing to identify those present, and we would encourage any bystanders to get in touch with us on 0161 856 9521, quoting log number 2985 of 07/08/21.”
Sainsbury’s press office said: “An incident took place at our Oldham store on Saturday and we are supporting the police with their investigation.”
Read More
Related Articles
Read More
Related Articles
If you have questions,