Zayna Iman, a 39-year-old woman, has spent the last three years haunted by fragmented memories of her time in police custody.
The pieces she recalls are deeply distressing—she believes she was drugged and sexually assaulted while in a cell.
Even more terrifying is the image of herself, disoriented and naked, curled up on the cold floor, unable to control her bodily functions.
Her relentless search for the truth about what happened to her during those 40 hours at Pendleton police station has led to an ongoing investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).
Yet, the more information she uncovers, the more questions arise.
Despite being handed pages of documents and footage, critical CCTV from her cell remains missing.
A Confusing Investigation
Zayna was initially told by Greater Manchester Police (GMP) that all the cell footage had been reviewed, and no evidence of rape was found.
But soon after, she was informed that parts of the footage were “corrupted” and could not be recovered.
As the IOPC dug deeper, it turned out the footage was never downloaded in the first place, and GMP had provided Zayna with false information.
This has sparked further concerns about the conduct of the officers involved.
Among the issues Zayna is still battling to understand:
- Why were certain officers’ identities misrepresented to her?
- Why did officers claim she wasn’t strip-searched when footage proves otherwise?
- How could the Professional Standards unit be unaware of previous rape allegations against the officer handling her case?
The Timeline of a Nightmare
Zayna’s ordeal began late on February 4, 2021, when a concerned friend contacted the police, worried about her welfare while she was under the influence of cocaine.
Early the next morning, officers arrived at her home and forced their way in.
By 2:20 AM on February 5, she was taken to Pendleton police station.
Within an hour, the body-worn cameras of the officers were switched off, and Zayna was carried into a cell, where a strip search was performed while she lay limp, barely responsive.
Between 10:00 AM and 11:00 AM on that same day, an hour of CCTV footage mysteriously went missing.
The footage resumed showing Zayna in a distressed state, half-naked, and unaware she had urinated on herself.
She was left without clothes, sitting in a urine-soaked cell for nearly 24 hours, further hours of footage missing.
A Shocking Lack of Care
Despite being in visible distress, Zayna was not violent.
Still, official custody records claimed her behavior was too volatile for officers to enter the cell. Yet footage shows officers calmly entering and speaking with her just 40 minutes after this note was made.
It wasn’t until her release the following evening that she was finally provided with a blanket, but even then, she showed signs of severe trauma, including bleeding, which she later reported as evidence of sexual assault.
Zayna was released into the care of a psychiatric hospital, where doctors observed her disoriented condition.
However, medical professionals noted that she was polite, cooperative, and not exhibiting any signs of paranoia or delusion.
Their assessments strongly suggested she had been drugged, possibly with a “date rape” drug, which led to the belief that she had been sexually assaulted while in custody.
Ongoing Investigation and Missing Footage
Despite Zayna’s repeated requests to see the missing footage, GMP maintains that it has been corrupted and cannot be recovered.
An external forensic team has been hired to examine hard drives and USBs, but they have not yet managed to locate the original recordings.
Zayna’s persistence eventually led to the IOPC’s involvement, which continues to investigate how and why this crucial footage disappeared.
Zayna’s case is now tied to broader concerns about the treatment of vulnerable women in police custody.
Her MP, Rebecca Long-Bailey, has raised concerns about this and other incidents of alleged mistreatment at Pendleton Police Station, urging for a wider review of practices within Greater Manchester Police.
What Comes Next?
As the investigation by the IOPC continues, Zayna waits for justice.
The IOPC has reviewed some footage, police logs, and officer testimonies, but critical questions remain unanswered, especially regarding the missing two hours of CCTV footage and the alleged sexual assault.
Zayna has been left physically and emotionally scarred by her experience, but she refuses to stop fighting for the truth.
The ongoing investigation promises more revelations, but for Zayna, the wait is agonizing.
She deserves answers—answers that may expose severe wrongdoing within the police force and lead to long-overdue accountability.
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