I had to defend myself, man accused of police officer assault at airport says
Muhammad Amaad, 26, and Mohammed Fahir Amaaz, 20, are alleged to have used a 'high level of violence' against Pc Zachary Marsden, Pc Lydia Ward and Pc Ellie Cook after they tried to arrest the younger brother.
The Greater Manchester Police officers entered the Terminal 2 car park paystation after reports that a male fitting Amaaz's description had headbutted a member of the public inside the airport just minutes before on July 23 last year.
Giving evidence on Monday at Liverpool Crown Court, Amaad said: 'They come in and grab Fahir straight away. They started pushing him forward into the ticket machine.
'I didn't understand the need for the aggression.'
He told his barrister Chloe Gardner that nothing was said by any of the officers and that he tried to 'de-escalate the situation' by saying 'easy, easy … no, no, no'.
Ms Gardner said: 'Were you trying to be provocative or make things worse?'
Amaad said: 'No, I was trying to help, if anything.'
Ms Gardner said: 'As far as you could see, did you see any reason why they grabbed hold of him?'
'No,' said Amaad.
He said he then saw a male officer, Pc Marsden, grab his younger brother's neck.
Amaad said: 'I didn't know where his other hand was. I thought both his hands might be around his neck and he was choking him.
'So, I stepped around and I just placed my hand under the officer's arm.'
He denied he pushed Pc Marsden or tried to grab the officer's throat.
Amaad said: 'Next, all I can remember is I got a bang in the face. My eyes sort of shut and I put my hands up and thought 'what was that?'
'Then I just remember 'bang, bang, bang'. It caught me by surprise, I was stunned.
'We just sort of fell over on to a chair and I am feeling punches, holding and grabbing, and I had to defend myself during that time.'
Pc Marsden went on to fire his Taser at him, the court heard, and he later sat down with his hands on his head after he saw the officer's firearm.
Amaad told the court: 'I just felt to myself 'I'm not dying today'. I have been punched, I have been tasered, I am not going to die today.'
Ms Gardner said: 'Why did you strike Pc Marsden at the seated area?'
Amaad said: 'Because it was at that point I was trying to make him stop and defend myself. I was put in a situation where I had to defend myself'.
Earlier, a total of 20 character references for Amaaz were read out by his barrister Imran Khan KC including many citing the defendant's charity work in the local community.
Among the testimonials were one from his elder brother, Mohammed Abid, 28, a serving officer with Greater Manchester Police since 2020.
He said his youngest brother, 'the baby of the family', looked up to him as a role model and that Fahir had never previously had any interactions with the police or the criminal justice system.
He said: 'He lives a clean, honest lifestyle. His dedication to his academic goals and personal development is something I deeply admire.
'Our family has strong moral values instilled in us by our parents at an early age.
'Mohammed Fahir Amaaz is a kind, respectful, upstanding young man with a bright future ahead.'
Amaaz is alleged to have assaulted Pc Marsden and Pc Ward, causing them actual bodily harm.
He is also accused of the assault of emergency worker Pc Cook, and the earlier assault of a member of the public, Abdulkareem Ismaeil, at a Starbucks cafe in T2 arrivals.
Amaad, a former assistant manager at KFC, is alleged to have assaulted Pc Marsden, causing actual bodily harm.
Both men, from Rochdale, Greater Manchester, deny the allegations.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
20 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Taser trial for prison officers to tackle violence
Specially trained staff in male prisons in England and Wales will be issued with Tasers as part of a new trial to clamp down on violence. The pilot comes as new figures obtained by the BBC show more than £20m has been paid out in damages over five years to staff and prisoners who have been assaulted. Ministers say they will look at whether the electric stun guns should be more widely used after the trial this summer. The Prison Officers' Association (POA) said the cost of the "intolerable" levels of violence was an issue the government needed to tackle with a sense of urgency and the use of Tasers was long overdue. Speaking after watching a demonstration of the technology at a training facility in Oxfordshire, Lord Chancellor and Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood said the government would not allow jails to be controlled by fear or disorder. "We're already rolling out protective body armour and by trialling Tasers we're making sure staff have the tools they need to keep themselves safe." Mark Fairhurst, national chairman of the POA, said: "Prisons have been overcrowded for decades, which leads to a lack of activity spaces for prisoners leading to boredom, drug abuse and violence. "Staff must be equipped with the personal protective equipment they need to quell violence and prevent life-changing injuries." The Tasers will be issued to a specialist national unit, which will respond to complex and serious incidents in men's prisons where there is a risk to safety, including hostage situations and riots. Severe PTSD after attack The intervention follows an attack on three prison officers in April at HMP Frankland in County Durham. Former officer Claire Lewis, who is still affected by severe PTSD after being stabbed by a prisoner 15 years ago, is welcoming the Taser roll-out in limited situations. She said: "Tasers are a great piece of kit, however, only in an environment whereby it's a planned extraction or if there's an assault on a wing." Ms Lewis, who also worked at HMP Frankland, is campaigning for all officers to have stab-proof vests. "If I'd have got a vest on when I was attacked, I would not have received the serious injury I did to my back - it narrowly missed my spinal cord." The latest Ministry of Justice figures showed the number of staff assaulted in adult prisons across England and Wales hit a new peak last year. Between 2020 and 2024 there were 334 compensation claims for prisoner-on-prisoner assaults, 232 prisoner-on-staff cases and 104 claims of staff assaulting inmates, according to a BBC freedom of information request. Joan - not her real name - a former prison worker in south-east England, said: "They used to use snooker balls in socks, now they use full cans of drinks in socks to attack each other, "They make knives out of tuna cans. I did see an officer get kettled, which means hot water thrown over him." The Prison Service says it is also ramping up the number of full lockdown searches in high-security jails to stop more of the contraband which fuels violence behind bars. Last month anti-drone measures such as new netting and reinforced windows were announced. President of the Prison Governors' Association Tom Wheatley backed the Taser trial for specialist officers, but not a wider roll-out to staff. "If they were issued to all officers on a daily basis, it could carry additional risk," he said. "Certainly not issued more generally, because they form a threat item, so if somebody managed to get a Taser off a member of staff, that would be a real concern to us." Follow BBC Kent on Facebook, on X, and on Instagram. Send your story ideas to southeasttoday@ or WhatsApp us on 08081 002250. More on this story Tasers in prisons to be trialled after Abedi attack Surge in call-outs for specialist prison squad Bold spending needed to halt prison crisis - union Manchester Arena bomber attacks prison officers Related internet links The POA Ministry of Justice


CBS News
22 minutes ago
- CBS News
1 man in critical condition after shooting in Pittsburgh's Bedford Dwellings neighborhood
A man has been hospitalized in critical condition after a shooting in Pittsburgh's Bedford Dwellings neighborhood. Just before 8 p.m. Sunday, Pittsburgh police officers from Zone 2 were dispatched to the 2500 block of Chauncey Drive for a single, four-round ShotSpotter alert. While officers were en route to the scene, a man with a single gunshot wound to his chest arrived at the Zone 2 police station after driving himself there. EMS personnel subsequently transported the man to an area hospital. A preliminary information suggests that the suspect fled the scene on Chauncey Drive in a vehicle, heading north, towards the McKees Rocks area. Officers are reviewing any available camera footage and interviewing witnesses in the area as the investigation remains ongoing.


CBS News
an hour ago
- CBS News
18-year-old dead, 2 teens injured after crashing into tree in Fairless Hills, Pennsylvania, police say
An 18-year-old woman is dead, and two teens were injured after their car crashed into a tree in Fairless Hills, Pennsylvania, on Sunday, Bristol Township police said. The crash happened on Wistar Road near Armstrong Middle School just before 4 p.m., according to police. Police said a 17-year-old boy was driving a white 2002 Mustang eastbound on Wistar Road at a high rate of speed with two passengers inside, including the 18-year-old woman in the backseat, when he lost control and struck a tree. The 18-year-old was taken to St. Mary Medical Center in Langhorne, where she died from her injuries, according to police. The 17-year-old driver, who is from Levittown, Bucks County, and another 17-year-old boy sitting in the front passenger seat were both placed in stable condition at St. Mary, police said. The crash is under investigation. Anyone with information about the crash is asked to contact the Bristol Township Police Department.