These shocking CCTV images show the moment a police officer shoved a grandmother and sprayed her in the face with CS gas.
Debbie O’Reilly intervened after noticing her friend’s ex-partner being restrained by police outside a bar.
The hospital worker had asked why he was being arrested outside Legends in Batley, West Yorkshire, when she was pushed and sprayed with the solvent.
CCTV images reveal Debbie O'Reilly (circled) being sprayed in the face by a police officer after intervening in an incident outside a bar in West Yorkshire
She was left with burns and blisters all over her face after the incident.
She said: ‘I was stood talking to someone outside the pub and noticed that my friend and her ex-partner were at the side of the road talking and I thought nothing of it.
‘I went back inside and my friend came running in screaming and shouting saying the police were arresting her ex-partner and that he hadn’t done anything wrong.
‘We went into the street and my friend was begging me to ask the policeman why they were arresting him. When I asked the officer he tried to push me over really hard on my shoulder and I fell backwards.
‘I was really lucky a doorman was stood behind me to stop my head hitting the floor because I would have cracked my skull open.
‘Then, while the doorman was helping me regain my balance the policeman sprayed me in the face with the gas. I have never felt pain like it.
‘I couldn’t see a thing, my eyes felt like they were on fire. I couldn’t believe what had just happened. It really was the most terrifying moment of my life, I’ve never been so scared.
The incident occurred outside Legends bar in Batley, West Yorkshire
‘If you look at the CCTV you can clearly see that I was nowhere near the officer and I was definitely not trying to stop him doing his job. I just wanted to find out why they were arresting him. I wasn’t drunk in the slightest either, we only had a couple.'
Ms O’Reilly, of Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, was then bundled into the back of a police van and taken to the police station, where she was charged with obstructing a police officer and being drunk and disorderly.
She was kept in the cells overnight and was told the following day by officers that the incident had been caught on CCTV and she was going to receive a caution.
After the ordeal, which happened in August 2007, Ms O’Reilly began legal proceedings against the force and was awarded £7,000 in an out-of-court settlement.
Ms O’Reilly said: 'It was never about the money, it was just about them admitting they were wrong. Even though they have given me a settlement, I still haven’t had an apology.
‘The money doesn’t mean much because I’m still affected now, I still can’t go out at night on my own.’
Ms O’Reilly’s outraged daughter Claire, 29, said: ‘My mum used to go out socializing with her friends, but she hasn’t been able to go out since the assault.
‘There's a lot of good police officers out there, but these bullies with badges give them a bad name. They are meant to protect people, not hurt them.’
Ms O’Reilly solicitor, Iain Gould, said the police had agreed to remove the caution on her file following the investigation.
Mr Gould, a specialist in action against the police, said: 'There was an abuse in a number of different aspects.
'First of all there is the police officer who pushes her away and then sprays her with CS gas but then he tops it all off by arresting her for obstructing a police officer when clearly she wasn't.
'Secondly, he gives her a caution but he didn't administer it properly because if he had said to her that, by accepting this caution, you accept you are guilty, she wouldn't have accepted it.
'Fortunately she realised when she went away and the CCTV verifies what she is saying. Debbie was successful in this case because she pursued it and persevered - she is a shining example.'
A West Yorkshire Police spokesman said: 'This incident was investigated thoroughly by the force's Professional Standards Department and the Office of the Force Solicitor.
'We can confirm that the matter has been dealt with and settled out of court to the complainant's agreement.'
The spokesman confirmed that the settlement was paid to Ms O’Reilly on October 11 and that, following an internal investigation, the officer concerned was not suspended or charged with an offence.
