A FORMAL complaint is to be made that a woman’s ankle was broken while she was being arrested by police officers.
A court was told Gemma Floyd, 33, was also alleging she was left in a police cell without medical treatment.
Floyd pleaded guilty at Flintshire Magistrates Court to being drunk and disorderly in Dock Road, Connah’s Quay, on February 15. She received a nine-month conditional discharge and was told to pay £100 costs.
But Brian Cross, defending, said his client now faced surgery for a broken ankle. He said Floyd had been to the pub, a couple in the upstairs area had been making offensive comments to her and she accepted she returned the abuse.
Floyd rang North Wales Police and as a result of her phone call officers arrived at the scene. She was directed to go home which involved walking through an alley but she claimed there were 20 male travellers in the alley who had been making remarks of a sexual nature towards her.
Floyd feared she would be sexually assaulted but police insisted she should take that route, it was alleged.
When she refused an officer kicked her legs from under her, her face was in the mud, she was handcuffed and knee restraints were put on, said Mr Cross. They went to put leg restraints on her but she complained that she had broken her leg.
Mr Cross said: “They nevertheless picked her up with a broken ankle and she was taken to the police station.”
He claimed she was placed in a cell where she was crying and distressed and was asking for a doctor or a nurse but was left there until the morning.
At that stage a nurse came on duty, she immediately confirmed she had a broken ankle and she was then taken to hospital.
“She had made a formal complaint about this matter,” Mr Cross told the magistrates. “There will be further investigation into whether or not my client was dealt with properly.”
There was also an issue about whether or not the care she received at the police station was appropriate.
“I mention all of that because of course there are two sides to every story,” he said.
As a result of the incident Floyd had no money, the Mold court was told. Her Job Seekers Allowance had been stopped because she was not available to work, she had applied for Disability Living Allowance but that would take four weeks to come through.
Prosecutor Justin Espie said police officers went to Dock Road at 4am and found Floyd shouting at another female. She was swearing and making abusive comments to the point where officers had to warn her about her behaviour.
She was drunk and her response was to become abusive towards the officers, said Mr Espie. She was not arrested at that stage but she was shouting at the top of her voice. In view of her behaviour she had to be arrested.
Floyd was thrashing her arms and legs out towards the officers and kicked out towards them. They had to take her to the ground where she was handcuffed and leg restraints were used.
Charged with being drunk and disorderly, she said: “It’s all lies.”