Man convicted after attempting to drag officer towards canal in Village
Wigan man, Michael White, grabbed an officer's arm, swung him around, and dragged him towards the canal before being detained
A man who attempted to drag a plain-clothed Greater Manchester Police officer towards the canal after being stopped for making an alleged homophobic remark in Manchester’s Gay Village has been convicted.
Plain-clothed officers had overheard 40-year-old Michael White making the comment while patrolling the area in October 2022 as part of GMP's operation to keep people safe in the city’s nightlife.
After being warned, White, of Millers Lane in Wigan, continued to be abusive, and officers attempted to arrest him.
During the arrest, he grabbed an officer’s arm, swung him around, and dragged him towards the canal before fellow officers were able to control and detain him.
White protested that he didn’t know that the officers were police and continued to deny charges of assault of an emergency worker.
However, he was found guilty at Manchester Magistrates’ Court on Monday 1 September 2025 and has been ordered to pay £1000 in court costs and £100 in victim compensation.
Superintendent Nicola Williams, of GMP’s City of Manchester division, said: “Officers are committed to keeping the public safe and our plain-clothed patrols are a vital part of ensuring everyone can enjoy our city centre’s night life.
“White was not only heard to make homophobic and discriminatory remarks in the Village; when approached by officers he continued to be abusive before going to the extent of trying to drag an officer towards the canal.
“We’re proud of our officers putting themselves in harms way to protect the public and, as this case shows, we have a mix of high-visibility patrols and plain clothes officers to achieve this.”