logo
I had to defend myself, man accused of police officer assault at airport says

I had to defend myself, man accused of police officer assault at airport says

Independent5 days ago
The brother of a man accused of assaulting three police officers at Manchester Airport has told a jury he struck out himself after he was 'put in a situation where I had to defend myself'.
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.
Amaad disagreed with prosecutor Adam Birkby that Pc Marsden posed no threat as the officer fell backwards on to seating close to the ticket machine.
Mr Birkby said: 'Do you accept you punched Pc Marsden six times?'
Amaad said: 'I was not counting but if it was six then yes.'
Mr Birkby said: 'You say those punches were lawful and the force used was reasonable?'
'Yes,' said Amaad.
Mr Birkby said: 'You are simply pummelling him with six punches when he was in a position where he couldn't defend himself, do you agree?'
Amaad said: 'I disagree.'
Mr Birkby put it to Amaad that he realised the officers had come to arrest his brother when they initially surrounded him at the ticket machine.
He said: 'You must have put two and two together that this was in relation to the violence your brother had used just five minutes earlier at Starbucks.'
Amaad said: 'I didn't have time to think. I just saw them grab him.'
Mr Birkby said: 'You knew your brother was resisting and yet rather than allowing the officers to get on with their jobs you physically intervened.'
'No,' said Amaad.
Mr Birkby went on: 'Because you didn't want your brother to get arrested.'
Amaad said: 'No, that's incorrect.'
The trial continues on Tuesday.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Trump golfs in Scotland as Epstein questions persist
Trump golfs in Scotland as Epstein questions persist

Reuters

time4 minutes ago

  • Reuters

Trump golfs in Scotland as Epstein questions persist

EDINBURGH, Scotland, July 26 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump kept a low profile on his Scottish golf course on Saturday, ahead of meetings with top British and European leaders, as questions swirled at home about his ties to disgraced financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Trump arrived in Scotland on Friday, with hundreds of people on hand to watch the arrival in Glasgow of Air Force One, the presidential aircraft. He told reporters that he will visit his two golf properties in Scotland - one in Turnberry on the west coast where he is playing on Saturday and the other near Aberdeen. He is also due to meet British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Scottish leader John Swinney and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, whom he called a "highly respected woman". Frustrated by continued questions about his administration's handling of investigative files related to Epstein's criminal charges and his 2019 death in prison, Trump told reporters to focus on bigger issues and other people. "You make it a very big thing over something that's not a big thing," Trump said. "Don't talk about Trump. What you should be talking about is the fact that we have the greatest six months in the history of a presidency." Trump was spotted on the golf course on Saturday morning, but had no public events in his schedule. Reporters and supporters were kept away by enhanced security. Protests were expected in Aberdeen and Edinburgh, hundreds of miles away. The White House said Trump was golfing on Saturday with his son, Eric Trump, and the U.S. ambassador to Britain, Warren Stephens, and his son. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt was also on the course. White House officials hope some time out of the limelight will allow the Epstein controversy to die down, two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters. Trump bought the Turnberry property, which includes a hotel and golf course, for $60 million in 2014, in the hope of returning the course to the rotation for the Open Championship, but said his visit was "not about that". Turnberry has been the site of the golf major four times, the most recent being in 2009. It has not hosted the event since then, amid concerns about the lack of accommodation and infrastructure for an event that draws hundreds of thousands. Trump will travel in coming days to his property near Aberdeen, where he will open a second course named after his mother, Mary Anne MacLeod, who was born and raised on a Scottish island before emigrating to the United States.

Two spectators killed in motor rally accident in France
Two spectators killed in motor rally accident in France

Telegraph

time4 minutes ago

  • Telegraph

Two spectators killed in motor rally accident in France

Two people have been killed in central France after a car veered off the road and hit onlookers at an auto rally. A third person watching the race is now fighting for their life after being seriously injured at the rally near Ambert in the Puy-de-Dome region on Saturday morning. The car left the road at around 10am before crashing into spectators, according to regional outlet La Montagne. The driver was reportedly left with only minor injuries as dozens of police officers and firefighters were mobilised to respond to the accident. The local prefecture said: 'The provisional toll shows two people dead, one person in critical condition, and several others involved in the shock.' The race, which was just over 7km long, stretched between Baffie and Fontlobines in the commune of Saint-Just. The prefect of Puy-de-Dome, the region's top local official, is set to conduct a press conference this afternoon. This is not the first time the racing event near Ambert has been marred by tragedy. At last year's race in July 2024, a steward reportedly died when he was hit by a car that lost control as he attended to a separate accident.

Matt Lucas turned my life upside down: Little Britain star says I harassed and blackmailed him and took me to court but I am innocent, artist says
Matt Lucas turned my life upside down: Little Britain star says I harassed and blackmailed him and took me to court but I am innocent, artist says

Daily Mail​

time4 minutes ago

  • Daily Mail​

Matt Lucas turned my life upside down: Little Britain star says I harassed and blackmailed him and took me to court but I am innocent, artist says

A male artist has denied allegations that he harassed and blackmailed Little Britain star Matt Lucas, The Mail on Sunday can reveal. German-born Aljoscha Quooss, 35, who lives in London, was arrested on suspicion of blackmail, harassment and malicious communications at the end of June after Matt Lucas, 51, made a report to the Metropolitan Police. He was released on bail and is under investigation. This newspaper can also reveal that the arrest came just three weeks after Mr Lucas failed to get a gag order against Mr Quooss at an emergency High Court hearing. Mr Lucas, represented by a KC, was seeking an interim injunction against Mr Quooss, who represented himself, but the judge dismissed his application. Last night illustrator and model Mr Quooss said: 'This has completely turned my life upside down. I did not do what I have been accused of by Matt Lucas, I have never harassed him or tried to blackmail him. 'He tried to silence me at a High Court hearing but failed, despite the fact that I had to represent myself against a powerful law firm. 'But then three weeks later I was arrested, held in a prison cell for 20 hours and had my phone and iPad taken in evidence by police, which has been extremely distressing.' Matt Lucas recently came under fire after posting photos of Stranger Things star Millie Bobby Brown, 21, on social media in which he compared her to one of his Little Britain characters. He later apologised and said he was 'mortified' for writing 'no but yeah but' - a catchphrase from Vicky Pollard - alongside images of the actress wearing a pink jacket and a blonde updo. The comedian reported allegations to Scotland Yard about Mr Quoos on June 26 after he failed to get an injunction against the artist at an emergency hearing in the afternoon of Sunday, June 8, heard by Mr Justice Johnson. Mr Quooss is not allowed to contact Mr Lucas or go near his address as part of his bail conditions. He works as an illustrator and barista but says that the current police investigation has made his work 'impossible'. He said: 'It's cut me off from my support network, I have been logged out of all of my accounts, including email and online banking, and have been left to fend for myself. 'Because my iPad was taken, I am also unable to continue my work as a digital artist. I had just set up my website at the beginning of the year and even invested money in an online course, because I was dreaming of becoming a freelance illustrator.' Matt Lucas declined repeated requests to comment by the MoS. A Met Police spokesman said: 'On Friday, June 27, a 35-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of harassment, blackmail and malicious communications. He was taken into custody and later bailed to return pending further enquiries. He is next due on a date in mid-September. 'The arrest follows allegations reported to police on June 26. The investigation is ongoing.'

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store