A homeless woman who was sexually assaulted by a stranger as she slept in a tent has been awarded damages by police after she accused them of failing to investigate properly.
The woman was sleeping rough in Manchester city centre in August 2020 when she awoke to find a man in her tent with his hand inside her clothes while he carried out a sexual act on himself.
Despite reporting the incident to Greater Manchester police (GMP), the case was closed shortly afterwards without officers having taken a formal statement from the woman or a witness, according to the woman’s lawyer.
The woman discussed the sexual assault with other homeless women in the days after and four others said they had also experienced a similar assault by a man of the same description, her lawyer said.
Nicola Bailey-Gibbs, of 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.”
The woman was paid £2,800 damages by GMP in an out-of-court settlement. GMP did not accept any liability for the incident, the Guardian understands. The force has been contacted for comment.
Bailey-Gibbs said the woman immediately reported the incident to police and officers arrived at the scene. However, she maintains they spoke to her only briefly in the back of a patrol car.
CCTV footage was later reviewed by police and then the sexual assault case was closed. No formal statements were taken from the woman or her partner, who was a witness, and no other potential witnesses were interviewed.
Hudgell Solicitors believes that had officers carried out a proportionate investigation they would have established a link to all five sexual assaults. “Formal statements should have been taken from all five women and other CCTV should also have been reviewed; had these appropriate actions been taken we believe the outcome could have proved more fruitful,” the firm said in a statement.
Bailey-Gibbs said the consequences of the police officers’ actions in failing to investigate could have been catastrophic: “We know that Sarah Everard’s killer was exposing himself in public before going on to commit a murder, these offences simply cannot be taken lightly.
“Investigations are under way into how police forces handled allegations that [Everard’s killer] Wayne Couzens indecently exposed himself and whether the appropriate actions were taken, including whether policies and procedures were followed.
“My client and other vulnerable women deserve better, and I hope the Greater Manchester police force has reviewed the way it responds to and investigates reports of sexual assaults,” she said.
Greater Manchester police have been approached for comment.
