A woman who says she was drugged and raped while held in police custody more than five years ago has accused Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham of failing to deliver on promises made after she went public with her allegations, as she continues to fight for access to missing CCTV footage from the night in question.
Zayna Iman, 41, who has waived her right to anonymity, says she was given a substance, stripped and sexually assaulted before being left naked and distressed on the floor of a cell at Pendleton police station in February 2021, during the second Covid lockdown. According to the Daily Mail, which has reviewed nearly 40 hours of CCTV footage, hundreds of pages of documents and Iman’s medical history, the ordeal began shortly after midnight on 5 February 2021, when officers arrived at her home after a friend called 999 out of concern for her welfare while she was under the influence of cocaine.
Bodycam footage shows officers speaking to Iman through her letterbox for more than an hour before forcing entry. She was restrained and carried into her kitchen, where she reached for the glasses of a female officer present. “There were four males and one female officer there, and she had these glasses on. She walked towards me, and I remember thinking they looked huge, probably because I was high, and I just reached out for them,” Iman said. She was immediately arrested for assaulting a police officer, though she was never charged with the offence.
Iman was detained under the Mental Health Act and taken to Pendleton police station, arriving at around 2.20am. While in the back of the police van, one officer can be heard on bodycam footage asking whether he should turn off his camera, before it is switched off. Cell footage timestamped shortly before 3.30am shows her being carried into a cell by five officers and strip searched while at least three restrained her, appearing not to resist, with her head lolling from side to side — a stark contrast to earlier footage showing her alert and speaking coherently to officers.
For the first six hours of her detention, Iman appears calm, quiet and sober, dressed appropriately with a blanket over her. At 10am, the CCTV footage cuts out. By 11am, an hour later, she is shown half naked and visibly distressed. Footage later shows she had been left naked, without clean clothing or anything to cover herself, in a urine-soaked cell for almost 24 hours. Minutes before her release, she was finally given a clean blanket; as she stood up, CCTV shows liquid dripping from her genitals, which she says was blood.
On release, Iman was sent to a psychiatric ward, where she stayed for five days. Police said she had been suffering an “acute psychotic episode.” However, detailed medical notes seen by the Daily Mail show she told hospital staff she had been drugged and raped, reporting severe rectal pain, rectal bleeding and a sore throat — though no physical examination was carried out despite the report of rape. Multiple mental health professionals who assessed her during her stay found her “pleasant in mood” and “polite, engaging and warm,” with no evidence of paranoia or delusion. Psychiatric notes recorded: “Ms Iman does not have any prior history of mental disorder, she has been admitted with an acute psychotic episode which has resolved without treatment. It is highly likely that this is drug related – ‘date rape drug’ – which led to a sexual assault.” The notes added: “Zayna believes she had been drugged and raped, the ward are of the opinion that this is not a delusional belief given her ongoing symptoms.”
After speaking publicly about her case in July 2023, Burnham commissioned an independent inquiry into women’s safety in Greater Manchester Police custody, led by former Victims’ Commissioner Dame Vera Baird KC, examining the use of strip searches, intimate searches, and the handling of complaints. Iman’s case was also referred to the Independent Office for Police Conduct.
Despite this, Iman told the Telegraph she feels no closer to obtaining answers, describing the inquiry as a “PR stunt” and accusing GMP of continuing to employ “predatory officers” who have not been held accountable. “Surely having predatory officers working for Greater Manchester Police and allowing that to continue for the last five years – that can’t be safe,” she said. “I never asked for any form of investigation or a public review. I simply asked for the footage – it has been operation cover-up since 2021.”
Iman has obtained some footage from GMP under freedom of information requests but says around 4.5 hours of key material remains missing. GMP told her in 2023 that two hours were missing due to corrupted files and that digital specialists would be sought to recover them, but she says no further footage has been provided. The IOPC said it has completed its investigation report and offered to meet Iman to discuss its findings.
Burnham, who is standing as Labour’s candidate in this week’s Makerfield by-election, is ultimately responsible as Mayor for oversight of Greater Manchester Police and its chief constable. A spokesperson for the Greater Manchester Combined Authority said: “The Mayor has always been clear that a thorough investigation of Ms Iman’s case by the IOPC was the right way forward, and in 2023 wrote to the IOPC to ensure that this took place. Following reports in the media in July 2023, the Mayor immediately commissioned the former Victims Commissioner, Dame Vera Baird, to carry out an independent investigation into the experiences of people in custody in Greater Manchester, with a focus on women and girls, giving a voice to those who were failed by problematic cultures and practices. GMCA and GMP accepted all of the recommendations in that report, and within four months Greater Manchester ended the use of so-called ‘welfare’ strip searches of people in custody. We have also established an independent panel to hold Greater Manchester Police to account on the improvements they are making, including training for officers and support for victims and survivors.”
A GMP spokesman said: “We understand the concerns raised by Ms Iman’s serious allegations, which is why we referred this case to the IOPC in 2023 for an independent and rigorous review. We continue to provide the fullest assistance to those charged with establishing the truth, and await their findings before further comment. Following the issues publicly raised by Ms Iman, the Baird Inquiry was commissioned, and highlighted understandable concerns about the poor treatment of those in the report. By taking immediate action to implement all 26 recommendations, including ending the use of strip-search for welfare purposes, we have significantly improved our service for those in our custody.”
If you have been affected by the issues raised in this article, support is available through Rape Crisis England & Wales.
