Man found guilty of assaulting two female police officers at Manchester Airport

Leader Live

3 days ago

Mohammed Fahir Amaaz, 20, floored Pc Lydia Ward with a punch to the face which broke her nose and also knocked Pc Ellie Cook to the ground.
Both officers and their colleague, Pc Zachary Marsden, approached Amaaz, 20, at a car park ticket machine after a report that a male fitting his description had headbutted a customer at Starbucks cafe in T2 arrivals on July 23 last year.
Amaaz allegedly resisted, and his brother, Muhammad Amaad, 26, is then said to have intervened as the prosecution said they inflicted a 'high level of violence' on the Greater Manchester Police officers.
Both defendants, from Rochdale, Greater Manchester, told the court they acted in lawful self-defence, or in defence of the other.
On Wednesday a jury at Liverpool Crown Court found Amaaz guilty of the assault of Pc Ward causing actual bodily harm and the assault of emergency worker Pc Cook.
Amaaz was also convicted of the Starbucks assault of a member of the public, Abdulkareem Ismaeil.
Jurors – after 10 hours of deliberating – could not reach a verdict on allegations the two brothers assaulted Pc Marsden causing actual bodily harm.
Prosecutor Paul Greaney KC told the court that the Crown intends to retry both defendants on the charge they assaulted Pc Marsden.
Prosecutors had told the jury that CCTV footage showed Amaaz threw 10 punches in total and that Amaad aimed six punches at firearms officer Pc Marsden.
Amaaz was also said to have kicked Pc Marsden and twice struck firearms officer Pc Cook with his elbow.
He was said to have punched Pc Marsden from behind and then had hold of him before Pc Cook discharged her Taser device.
Mobile phone footage of a kick and stamp by Pc Marsden as Amaaz lay on the floor was shared on social media and went viral.
Giving evidence, Amaaz said he feared the 'lunatic' male officer would 'batter him to death' and Amaad said he believed he was under attack.
The defence said the officers used 'unlawful force' as they grabbed Amaaz from behind without announcing themselves.
Amaaz was remanded in custody by Judge Neil Flewitt KC.
A bail application hearing for Amaaz will take place on Thursday.
In December the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) announced Pc Marsden would not face charges over the incident.
A probe into the actions of Pc Marsden by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) remains ongoing, including a criminal investigation which may consider a re-referral to the CPS, jurors were told.
Giving evidence at the trial, Pc Marsden said he was unaware Amaaz had been tasered and he kicked him in the face 'to stun the subject' as he believed he was attempting to get off the floor.
He told the court he did not believe he struck Amaaz's head with a stamp in which he sought to clamp down on the loose wire of his police radio to avoid it being used as a weapon against him.
Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police, Sir Stephen Watson said he 'welcomed the findings' of the jury in relation to Amaaz, 'whose appalling conduct has now been exposed to legitimate public scrutiny'.
'GMP is actively supportive of a retrial in respect of the two counts where a verdict was not achieved.
'Our officers first approached the man now convicted in order to make an arrest following the unprovoked assault on an innocent man in the presence of his wife and children.
'They were responding quickly to precisely the sort of outrageous criminal behaviour that rightly offends the public.
'Whilst assaults on police officers are sadly not uncommon – 44 of my officers are assaulted every week across GM – such attacks can never be justified. Our officers are decent people who routinely place themselves in harm's way to protect the public. They deserve our respect and support.'
Jurors heard Amaaz approached Mr Ismaeil after his mother told him he had repeatedly called her a 'Paki bitch' during an incoming flight from Pakistan and that he had pushed his luggage into the back of her legs.
He said he wanted an apology and claimed he headbutted Mr Ismaeil in self-defence as he feared he was about to be attacked himself but the Crown said Amaaz was the aggressor who acted in anger.
GMP said its investigation found 'no evidence of any prior threatening or unacceptable behaviour' by Mr Ismaeil towards Amaaz or his family.
Aamer Anwar, the solicitor for the brothers, issued a brief statement outside court, with Amaad alongside him.
Mr Anwar said: 'As proceedings are still live it would be inappropriate to comment any further.'