A grandmother was left with a black eye after reportedly being struck by a police officer outside an Oldham supermarket last weekend.
A video surfaced online this week appearing to show an officer swinging at 50-year-old Colleen Murphy – who was attempting to intervene as her son was apprehended for being “drunk and disorderly”.
The incident, which took place outside Sainsbury’s on Union Street, was captured on camera by witnesses and then posted online.
Greater Manchester Police said it has referred the incident to its Professional Standards Department, where body camera footage will be analysed.
This video's emerged appearing to show a police officer punching a 50-year-old woman outside an Oldham supermarket. Colleen Murphy suffered a black eye. @gmpolice has referred the incident to its Professional Standards Department, who'll be looking at body-worn camera footage. pic.twitter.com/JKmWEsl0LM
Ms Murphy’s daughter, Danielle Willisford, told the Manchester Evening News she had entered the store with her brother, leaving her mother and cousin to use the cash machine outside.
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According to Ms Willisford, her mother and cousin were barred from entering the supermarket.
A confrontation then occurred.
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Ms Willisford stated: “My brother goes to the security guard ‘I’m not barred, am I?’ and there were three policemen: one woman and two men.
“He stepped into Sainsbury’s and then the policeman in the yellow top said ‘you are barred, I just told you, you are barred’ and then started shouting and my brother just said ‘will you please get out of my face I’ve done nothing wrong’.
“Anyway, he grabbed him and flung him onto the floor and the full video is what happened after that.”
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During the video, a woman is seen approaching police performing an arrest before one officer seems to throw a punch in retaliation.
Horrifying video shows Grandma being punched in the face by GMP police officer during scuffle outside Sainsbury's https://t.co/BZqgEbUNWR
A police spokesperson for GMP reads: “This incident took place after police were called just after 9pm on 7 August and responded to a report of a disturbance on Union Street, Oldham. A 31-year old-male was subsequently arrested for being drunk and disorderly.
“At the time of his arrest a crowd had gathered, and footage of the incident has been uploaded onto social media.
“The footage shows an altercation with members of the public attempting to intervene, while officers placed the man under arrest. The man received a fixed penalty notice (FPN) for being drunk and disorderly. There were no injuries reported.
“The incident has been referred to our Professional Standards Department, who will review the Body Worn Video of events leading up to the arrest, along with the footage posted.”
Oldham
Oldham boy, 12, sentenced after taking part in ‘violent disorder’ in Manchester
Emily Sergeant
A young boy from Oldham has been sentenced after taking part in ‘violent disorder’ in Manchester city centre last month.
The 12-year-old – who cannot be named for legal reasons – appeared at Manchester Youth Court yesterday (11 September) where the court heard that he had been involved in two instances of disorder in Manchester city centre – one on 31 July outside a hotel that was believed to be housing asylum seekers, and the second on 3 August around Piccadilly Gardens.
On 31 July at around 6pm, the boy was captured on CCTV as part of a group who were said to have become “aggressive”, and were seen throwing rocks and other missiles at police officers who were trying to protect the staff and residents of the hotel.
A 12-year-old boy from Oldham has been sentenced after taking part in ‘violent disorder’ in Manchester / Credit: GMP
Later, the group – who were in the middle of the road – stopped a bus full of passengers, and the boy was seen on CCTV kicking out at the bus from his bike.
Following this first incident, the same boy was seen again as part of a disorderly group at Piccadilly Gardens on 3 August, where, at around 3:20pm, the group were moving around the area attacking shop fronts and the boy was filmed with a group of others kicking the front window of a vape shop.
Later, wearing a balaclava to hide his identity, he formed part of a group who appeared to storm a Sainsbury’s Local supermarket.
The boy knocked over shelves within the store, and during the fracas, he was also seen to throw a missile at a police van.
According to the CPS, the boy “made no comment” in his police interview, but he did plead guilty to two counts of violent disorder at the first court hearing on 12 August 2024, before was was sentenced to a 12-month intensive referral order at Manchester Youth Court yesterday (11 September) and ordered to pay £300 in compensation.
Following the sentencing, John Moran, who is the Senior Crown Prosecutor for CPS North West, said: “It is deeply concerning to see young people engaging in the disorder that has plagued our streets, and the fact this boy took steps to shield his identity shows he knew what he was doing was wrong.
“The fact the behaviour was repeated increases the seriousness of the acts.
“We will continue to work side by side with the police and our partners across the criminal justice system to ensure justice is delivered robustly and swiftly.”
Featured Image – GMP
Oldham
Work commences on multi-million-pound scheme to build affordable and energy-saving homes in Oldham
Danny Jones
Ground has finally been broken on a new multi-million-pound scheme to build a slate of new affordable and energy-saving homes in Oldham.
Headed up by First Choice Homes Oldham (FCHO), the current development in the Hathershaw area is part of a wider strategy to deliver a total of 1,100 high-quality, sustainable properties in the borough and surrounding areas which was greenlit in 2020 and is estimated to run until 2026.
With increasing demand across the region, not to mention housing and cost of living crises across the country, FCHO has commenced work on the properties, enlisting Arca Construct Ltd as the main contractor and the project is estimated to be completed by summer 2025.
Construction work on the first 19 energy-saving and affordable Oldham homes is now well underway for the scheme, which is to cost around £4.5 million.
The Hathershaw developments include 16 three-bedroom houses along Belgrave Road and a further trio of three-bedroom homes over on neighbouring Thatcher Street.
Utilising an injection of £1.07m in funding from Homes England and a £285,000 Brownfield Housing Fund grant via Greater Manchester Combined Authority, the scheme involves transforming a former garage site into homes for affordable rent.
As part of FCHO’s green focus and sustainability targets set in its ‘Big Plan and Sustainability Strategy’, all the homes being created are also going to be eco-friendly as a priority.
Each property is being built to ensure the performance of materials that make up the building is maximised – known in the industry as a ‘fabric first approach.’
Moreover, with energy bills so challenging these days and Greater Manchester weather being what it is, each home will be highly insulated to ensure they are as warm and economical for customers as possible.
The housing association also includes a dedicated Homes and Neighbourhoods team to support homeowners once they’re all moved in.
Better still, with high energy efficiency specs in mind, all 19 of these affordable Oldham homes are set to achieve Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) B, not only saving customers money but also helping reduce their overall carbon footprint.
FCHO’s Development Director, Joel Owen, said of work kicking off: “It is fantastic to see these energy-efficient and affordable homes starting to take shape. Not only do they complement our commitment to provide high quality and affordable homes to people in the communities we are based in and serve but also our work to have sustainable and energy-efficient housing stock.”
Arca Construct’s Head of Construction, Nigel Lonsdale,added: “We understand the critical role First Choice Homes Oldham plays in providing affordable housing and are delighted to be working with them on this scheme.
“We pride ourselves on being a trusted partner, delivering exceptional results at competitive rates. Our membership in the Considerate Constructors Scheme and CHAS Elite underscores our commitment to quality and responsible construction.”
The Manc -
10th August 2021 
