An innocent man who needed emergency surgery to save his eyesight after he was assaulted by police officers in custody has settled a legal case with Greater Manchester Police.

Anthony Giblin, 59, brought the case against the police force after he suffered a fractured eye socket and nearly lost sight in his right eye when one officer punched him following his arrest on suspicion of breaching a court order following a fictitious report to police. 

During the assault in July 2021 at Swinton Police Station, Broudie Jackson Canter’s Civil Liberties team, who represented the sales executive, said four officers forcibly pushed him face-first onto the cell bed, stripped him naked, and left him bleeding profusely for ten minutes before answering his distress calls.

Despite having an emergency operation to reduce the swelling behind his eye, Anthony has been left with permanent numbness and a marginal but permanent reduction in his eyesight, alongside psychological scarring as a result of the ‘terrifying experience’. The father of two from Manchester said: 

“In that moment, naked and covered in blood, I thought my life was over. I felt one of them punch me and a bone break in my face.

“It’s been nearly six years since it happened, but I still feel anxious when I see or hear a police vehicle. My mind races, and I assume they are coming to get me. That mistrust in an institution that is meant to protect you doesn’t just go away. I was an innocent man who had been arrested due to a fictitious report, but instead of being treated with dignity and listened to, I was assaulted and nearly lost my eyesight due to their brutality. It was a terrifying experience.”

As part of the claim, the team argued that the officers’ actions formed part of a wider pattern of similar egregious behaviour identified in the Baird Inquiry report, which they described as one of the case’s “extremely serious aggravating factors.”

The independent Baird Inquiry report, which predominantly focused on women and girls, examined the experiences of people who had been arrested and taken into Greater Manchester Police custody. The investigation by Dame Vera Baird in July 2024 concluded that the force had engaged in unlawful arrests and strip searches and uncovered evidence of people being “humiliated” in custody.

Anthony was one of three men who provided evidence to the inquiry alongside 11 women.

Following the publication of the report, Dame Vera Baird described the testimonies as ‘horror stories’ that are ‘hugely damaging to public confidence’ and demonstrate a ‘problematic’ custody culture. The report made 26 recommendations, including abolishing strip searches for welfare reasons. Anthony said:

“I am still in disbelief that this happened to me. I broke down when Dame Vera Baird thanked me for sharing my experiences and being so open about the toll it had taken on my life.”

Following the serious incident, officers took Anthony to Salford Royal Hospital, where a CT scan confirmed his right eye socket had been broken, and there was a build-up of pressure behind the eye.

He remained awake while his eye and the tendons behind it were cut open to relieve the pressure. Anthony recalled:

“Without that emergency surgery, I would have lost my sight. The following day, I was taken to court to stand in the dock, and I just broke down. I collapsed, I couldn’t take any more. The judge said I was free to go, and I was acquitted of all charges.

“Understandably, I didn’t want to go into a cell for something I hadn’t done when the four officers pushed me onto the bed, face-first, and the next thing I felt was excruciating pain in my eye. I felt the bone shatter.

“They got me onto the floor and jumped on top of me before stripping me of my clothes and leaving me alone, naked. My eye and nose were bleeding, and I could barely see out of my right eye. I rang the bell to try and get help, but they didn’t come at first. Eventually, they threw in my clothes and escorted me to the hospital.

“I broke down in tears when the nurse told me I was on the verge of losing sight in my right eye, and it felt so humiliating having to sit in the hospital with two of the same officers who had put me there. I was dealing with potentially life-changing news because of them.”

Lauren Halliday, Civil Liberties solicitor at Broudie Jackson Canter, said:

“The psychological impact of this incident cannot be downplayed. There was a clear abuse of power that left our client, who was in a vulnerable position, with a life-long injury and years of psychological trauma.

“Unfortunately, it is clear from the Baird report that our client is not alone. The police have a duty to protect the public and uphold the law in a safe and reasonable manner. No one should be arrested on suspicion of a crime and suffer a life-changing injury that requires emergency surgery while in custody.”

Greater Manchester Police settled the civil case for an undisclosed five-figure sum.