Police pay damages to homeless woman who was sexually assaulted in tent in Manchester

Nicola Bailey-Gibbs, who represented the woman, believes her client's homelessness may have had something to do with the way she was treated by police.

A homeless woman who was sexually assaulted as she slept in a tent in Manchester has been awarded damages after she accused police of failing to investigate.

The victim was sleeping on the streets in August 2020 when she woke to find a man with his hand inside her clothes while he carried out a sex act on himself.

She immediately reported the incident to Greater Manchester Police and officers arrived at the scene, however she maintains they spoke to her only briefly in the back of a patrol car.

No formal statements were taken from the woman, or her partner who was a witness, and no other potential witnesses were interviewed, the victim's lawyer said.

CCTV footage was reviewed by officers and the sexual assault case was closed.

In the days after the incident, the victim discussed the assault with other homeless people and discovered that four other women said they had experienced a similar assault.

Nicola Bailey-Gibbs at Hudgell Solicitors, who represented the woman, said: “These sexual assaults on vulnerable homeless women in Manchester city centre were not minor offences and these officers should not have treated them as minor offences.

“They were a series of disturbing sexual assaults that should have prompted concern amongst officers whose job it is to protect the public, whoever they may be, and whatever circumstances they find themselves in.

“This may well have been a serial sex attacker and Greater Manchester Police officers appear not to have been open to that possibility.

“Sexual assaults cannot be ignored, by doing so the consequences could be catastrophic.”

Greater Manchester Police (GMP) have agreed to pay the victim £2,800 damages following the incident, her solicitors said.

The force has been contacted for comment.