A woman has been arrested and an investigation launched after a disabled man was allegedly assaulted in the car park of Forest Bank prison. The Manchester Evening News understands the woman works as a prison officer.
A disabled man claims he was punched, dragged around and sworn at after commenting that a woman had parked in a disabled bay. John Baines drove more than 90 miles from his home in Chesterfield, Derbyshire, to visit his father in prison. It was the first visit since his dad was jailed three months ago.
John, 36, says he parked in the Forest Bank car park, in Salford, and was soon joined by a prison officer who parked her car in a disabled bay nearby. John says he is disabled after being stabbed in his lower back in 2013, he struggles to walk and has to use a walking stick.
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"Me being me, I say a bit of a sarcastic comment, 'perks of the job, park where you like'," John told the Manchester Evening News as he explained what happened.
"Then she replies 'I'll park where the f*** I like, I'll do what I please'. I was just trying to have a bit of banter and then got that. I told her I'd report her and she called me an idiot and a c***.
"So I told her 'I'm the disabled f****** idiot, you're parked in a disabled bay."
John claims he took a picture of her car before returning to his own vehicle, where he sat down but left the door open in the hot weather. The woman demanded John hand over his phone, he claims.
When John refused he claims he was 'punched in the left then the right side' of his face.
"She tried to drag my phone off me, I tried to get to the passenger side of my car to get away from her, but she grabbed me by the throat and dragged me out of the car.
In footage seen by the Manchester Evening News , a woman can be heard saying 'f****** give me the car, give me the phone', while a man says 'get off me' repeatedly and 'you're assaulting me'.
John says that the ordeal left him so shaken that he had to call a friend in Chesterfield to come and collect him. He has now been left fearful of going outside, he added.
"After being stabbed, I don't go out in public by myself that much but I went to prison because I thought it would be safe. It's supposed to be a secure area."
"At around 1.40pm on Saturday 13 August we received a report that an assault took place outside HMP Forest Bank," a spokesperson for Greater Manchester Police confirmed.
"A 27-year-old female was arrested at the scene on suspicion of common assault and battery and has been released under investigation. Injuries sustained by the victim were not serious."
A spokesperson for HMP Forest Bank said: "We are aware of an allegation against one of our prison officers and are co-operating with the police investigation. It would be inappropriate to comment any further at this time."
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