Unlawful strip search victim handed criminal conviction by Greater Manchester Police
Unlawful strip search victim handed criminal conviction by Greater Manchester Police
Trigger warning: This article includes graphic descriptions of strip searches and references to domestic violence.
In July 2024, an independent report, known as The Baird Inquiry (named after Dame Vera Baird, who led the inquiry), investigated the actions of Greater Manchester Police (GMP) and found that the force was responsible for a number of ‘unlawful’ arrests and strip searches.
The report pointed out, in particular, concerns around how the force treats women and girls, and failures in the treatment of those who had suffered from sexual or domestic violence. It found that the force has made numerous unlawful arrests and unlawful strip searches on vulnerable women.
GMP claimed they had implemented all recommendations of the report, but a year on from it, it’s been reported that Maria, one of the women who was unlawfully arrested and strip-searched, has received a criminal conviction for the crime the inquiry said she should never have been arrested for.
Several women who gave evidence to the Baird Inquiry have told Sky News that they “feel let down and are still fighting for accountability and to get their complaints through the bureaucracy of a painfully slow system.”
Why are many victims still fighting for justice and being continually punished despite the report’s findings of unlawful and unacceptable behaviour by police? We explore more in this article.
What happened to Maria?
Maria was a victim of domestic violence. She went to the police to get the keys off her arrested partner, but was made to wait outside for five-and-a-half hours.
The Baird Inquiry stated: “The domestic abuse victim, alone in a strange city, made 14 calls for police to help her.
She was repeatedly told that someone would contact her, but nobody did. The patterns did not change, hour after hour, until eventually she rang sobbing and angry.”
She was then arrested by police for malicious communications, saying she’d sworn at staff on the phone. She was then taken inside the police station and strip-searched because the police thought she was concealing a vape. Maria said she felt demeaned and humiliated, describing being told to take her clothes off and then, when completely naked, asked to open the lips of her vagina so the police could see inside and then bend over to open her anal area too.
Maria said she felt like she was “treated like a piece of meat”.
The inquiry found the actions of the police in this case not only “terrible” but “unlawful”. The Chief Constable of GMP, Stephen Watson, even described the actions of officers towards Maria as “an inexplicable and indefensible exercise of police power.”
Despite all of this, charges against Maria were not dropped, and in March 2025, she was convicted of the offence and fined. While Maria gained a criminal record, none of the officers who mistreated her have been disciplined for her treatment. This is a prime example of the huge injustice many face within the police and legal system after becoming victims of police misconduct.
Even though Maria made a complaint about the actions of the police, which was referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) in August 2023, no officers have been disciplined, and she has not heard anything back since, despite being told the report was completed.
This highlights how difficult it is for individuals to get action taken against police when they have been mistreated. In these instances, it could be beneficial for victims to seek the help of experienced actions against the police solicitors who can help them with their police complaint and to make a civil claim against the police for compensation for their mistreatment.
The rules on strip searches
There are strict rules in place that govern police powers known as the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (PACE). Within this, there are set rules around how strip searches can be conducted and when. The police are only lawfully allowed to strip search an individual if they have reasonable grounds to believe they have a hidden item they should not have and believe it is necessary for them to remove the item. Police do not need to arrest you to conduct a strip search.
During a strip search, officers cannot tell you to squat or touch any bodily orifices other than your mouth. If they do, this can be classed as an intimate search, and different rules apply to this. Under the Human Rights Act 1998, Article 3, you have the right to freedom from torture, inhumane and degrading treatment. During a strip search, the police should never undermine this right by searching you in a way that amounts to torture, degradation or inhuman treatment.
Victims still fighting for justice
Maria isn’t the only victim within the Baird Inquiry who is still fighting for justice. Several others are still working their way through the complaints system to get a response. This includes:
- Dannika Stewart, who was unlawfully arrested and strip-searched in October 2023 in the same police station as Maria.
- Mark Dove, who was found by the inquiry to have been unlawfully strip-searched, has now been in the complaints system for three years.
- Sophie (not her real name), a domestic violence victim who was found to have been unlawfully arrested by GMP, whose complaints were initially dismissed, and although now they’ve been upheld, no officer has faced consequences.
Since the Baird Inquiry, all strip searches by Greater Manchester Police are now reviewed by a compliance team. All female suspects are now provided with dignity packs, including sanitary products, and the police are working with the College of Policing to ensure all officers are properly trained to recognise and respond to domestic violence and sexual trauma survivors.
Deputy Chief Constable Terry Woods, of GMP, claims that the quality of complaints handling has increased, and out of 14 of the complaints relating to The Baird Inquiry, four have been completed, while their professional standards department continues to investigate the rest. He also states that:
“Where officers have been found to breach our standards, then we have not hesitated to remove them from GMP, with more than 100 officers being dismissed on the chief constable’s watch.”
What to do if you have suffered mistreatment at the hands of the police?
If you have ever been the victim of an unlawful arrest, unlawful strip-search or any other mistreatment by police, there are actions you can take to seek redress. While making a police complaint can go some way to helping get the incident investigated and the officers involved disciplined for their actions, as we can see from the above story, often this process is incredibly drawn out and does not often result in the outcome you desire or even any consequences for officers.
Another option is to make a civil claim against the police for compensation. A civil claim can help you to get compensation for your suffering, including for any physical or emotional injury, reputational damage or financial losses as a result of the mistreatment. This compensation can go some way in helping you to move past the incident and compensate you for the ordeal.
HNK Solicitors can help you get the justice you deserve
If you have been treated unlawfully by police and have been fighting to get the justice you deserve, but are getting nowhere, HNK Solicitors can help. We can provide assistance with your police complaint and help you to make a civil claim against the police to gain compensation. We have a team of highly experienced actions against the police solicitors, with a strong track record of success helping clients to gain compensation from the police for their mistreatment.
As you can see from the above article, police complaints cases are highly contested and are slow to progress, but with the help of an expert actions against the police solicitor, you can get the justice and compensation you deserve. They’re highly trained to handle these cases sensitively and provide you with the support you need.
We even offer free consultations and can take on claims on a no-win, no-fee basis. Get in touch with our team today on 0151 668 0812 or enquiries@hnksolicitors.com. Alternatively, fill in your details on our online claim form, and a member of our team will be in touch to find out more details about your case. Don’t accept poor police behaviour, take action today.
