WARNING: This article contains graphic images
Martin and Emma missed the entire concert following the ordeal(Image: Emma Brierley)
A man was violently attacked after ‘knocking over someone’s beer’ at the Oasis concert at Heaton Park – forcing him and his wife to miss the entire concert they paid £300 for and spend the night in A&E.
Emma Brierley, 32, had gone to the gig last Saturday night (July 12) alongside her husband Martin, 50, and another friend. After entering the fenced off area, the pair then queued up to use the bathrooms and had planned to get a drink from the bar before enjoying the gig they had eagerly waited months for.
Minutes later, Martin then agreed to go to the bar and buy a round of drinks while Emma went back to find their standing spot in the park ahead of the concert.
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It was only when the Gallagher brothers took to the stage and Emma realised that Martin had not returned that she suspected he may have gotten lost – until she got a call from a member of security asking her to head over to the medical tent near one of the entrance gates.
“I tried ringing him a few times but there was no signal at all,” Emma told the M.E.N. “I thought he’d have just gotten lost somewhere in the park on the way back from the bar.
“Oasis were already playing now and I was saying to our friend how gutted Martin would be to have not made it back from the bar yet. We were just thinking he was struggling to find us at this point.
Oasis performing at Heaton Park(Image: Big Brother Recordings)
“We were on the top of the hill quite far back from all the crowds. We weren’t bothered about how close we could get and didn’t want to get crushed because it was very busy.
“At 8.23pm I received a call from ‘Martin’, but it was actually a member of security staff using his phone and telling me to go to Gate 20. There was no mention of what had happened, so I told my friend to wait with my bag, still presuming he had just got lost on the way back.”
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As Emma approached the gate, she saw Martin on the floor, bleeding and injured. She instantly recognised him from his trainers and ‘ran to him’ as he was surrounded by security officers.
“He was conscious when I got there but looked a mess, and his shirt was soaked with blood,” she said. “They were telling me they were taking him to the [medical] tent for treatment.
Martin was left with a large gash to his head and two black eyes(Image: Emma Brierley)
“I asked a member of security to help me try and find our friend to come with us. Unfortunately, we couldn’t find our friend so I headed back with security. When I returned, we then went through sealed fence and to a gazebo with police and paramedics.”
Martin’s memory of what happened is blurred. He told of how he remembered accidentally knocking over a group’s beers, that were positioned on the floor, as he walked back from the bar while looking at the large screens.
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“I was bringing the drinks back from the bar and there was a group with their drinks on the ground. I didn’t realise and obviously walked right through this bloke’s beers. I told him they shouldn’t have been on the floor because it’s a field,” he said.
“I turned around to walk off and I’ve got this flashback of a hand coming across my face. The next memory I have is of a member of security trying to pull me up by my right arm and blood being everywhere. I am not sure if I passed out or not. Then the next thing I knew, I was in the medical tent.
“They definitely went for me more than once. I had injuries to my head, two black eyes and injuries to my jaw and lip.”
The pair, from Oldham, claim they were only asked for basic details from police officers, who arrived around 10 minutes after the attack. Martin was then taken into the medical tent on a stretcher and had his head injury glued together and bandaged up to prevent the bleeding.
After around 30 minutes, Emma claimed they were told they could return to the concert – but they instead ‘just wanted to get out and get home’ following the ordeal.
Martin in the medical tent after having his head bandaged(Image: Emma Brierley)
“I asked where we were going as we didn’t have a clue where we were and was told to head out of the tent and just keep walking and that the stage was on our right,” Emma explained
“At this point, Martin had no shirt because of how blood soaked it was, but we couldn’t find anywhere to purchase one or offered anything. I was concerned that we had just been let out with the injuries Martin had sustained, but at this point we just wanted to get out of the concert, get home, and get Martin to A&E near us just to be checked out properly.
“After missing nearly all of Oasis because of what happened, the day had been ruined for us. I was feeling very anxious around everything and just wanted to get Martin closer to home, into appropriate clothing and to A&E.”
The couple later found their friend, who had been able to enjoy the entirety of the concert, and they left Heaton Park. On the way out, Emma claimed she asked a police officer how to make a complaint because they ‘hadn’t been given a crime reference number’ or had chance to explain what had happened to any officers at the scene.
Martin spent eight hours at Royal Oldham Hospital overnight, including having CT scans. His injuries were not deemed serious and he was discharged at around 10am on Sunday.
Emma later made a complaint to Greater Manchester Police about their treatment at the concert, claiming that the couple have still not been visited by an officer.
“Martin and I had never seen Oasis before so we were so excited,” Emma added. “I had managed to get a ballot number last year and sat for hours to get these tickets.
“We sorted the kids being babysat by my mum, it was a sunny day and we were really looking forward to it. It was all so disappointing. You don’t think you’re going to go out to a concert and this is going to happen to you.”
A spokesperson for Greater Manchester Police said: “Officers are investigating after we received a report of an assault at the Oasis concert at Heaton Park on Saturday evening.
“The man received injuries for which he was treated for, and thankfully which weren’t serious. We will be visiting the man in due course to provide further updates, with an investigation underway.”