Jury shown CCTV footage of alleged assault on police at Manchester Airport

The Herald Scotland

6 days ago

Minutes later, three officers – Pc Zachary Marsden and Pc Ellie Cook, who were both armed, and unarmed Pc Lydia Ward – approached the defendants at the paystation in T2's car park.
On Monday, a jury at Liverpool Crown Court watched airport camera footage from opposite angles which captured what the Crown say was a 'high level of violence' used by the defendants towards the officers.
The prosecution say Amaaz resisted as police tried to move him away from a payment machine to arrest him, and then Amaad intervened.
Junior counsel Adam Birkby suggested that Amaaz threw 10 punches, which included one to the face of Pc Ward that knocked her to the floor, and that Amaad aimed six punches at firearms officer Pc Marsden.
Amaaz is also said to have kicked Pc Marsden and twice struck firearms officer Pc Cook with his elbow.
He is said to have punched Pc Marsden from behind and then had hold of him before Pc Cook discharged her Taser device.
The CCTV footage was played to jurors at Liverpool Crown Court (Crown Prosecution Service/PA)
Amaaz had his arm around Pc Marsden's neck as both fell to the floor, Mr Birkby said, before the officer got to his feet.
Mr Birkby went on: 'Mr Amaaz, while prone, lifts his head towards the officers. Pc Marsden kicks Mr Amaaz around the head area.
'Pc Marsden stamps his foot towards the crown of Mr Amaaz's head area but doesn't appear to connect with Mr Amaaz.'
Footage from the body-worn cameras of the three officers was also played to the jury.
Still frame of CCTV footage of the incident (Crown Prosecution Service/PA)
Amaaz is alleged to have assaulted Pc Marsden and Pc Ward, causing them actual bodily harm.
He is also accused of the assault of Pc Cook and the earlier assault of a member of the public, Abdulkareem Ismaeil, at Starbucks.
Amaad, 26, is alleged to have assaulted Pc Marsden, causing actual bodily harm.
Both men, from Rochdale, Greater Manchester, deny the allegations.
Giving evidence, Pc Marsden told the court he approached the paystation area with the intention of taking 'immediate control' and escorting the suspect from the crowd and to arrest him outside where he would have radio signal.
He said: 'I wanted to prevent his escape or any opportunity to escape, but also to give me control of someone who had allegedly been violent towards a member of the public.'
He said he placed his hands on Amaaz's left arm, but said he was 'met with immediate resistance' and that he felt the suspect 'clench his fists'.
Pc Marsden said: 'I recall leaning in and saying to him words along the lines of, 'come on mate, we are not doing that here'.'
He said he did not feel it was necessary to tell the suspect he was a police officer because he was wearing full uniform with a cap.
Pc Marsden said he realised a change in plan was needed so decided to attempt to handcuff Amaaz, the man wearing the light blue tracksuit.
Footage from the body-worn cameras of the three officers was also played to the court (Crown Prosecution Service/PA)
He said he struggled to get Amaaz's hands behind his back, so tried to get control of his head by pushing his body forwards.
He told the court: 'The information I had was that he used his head as a weapon. I was in close proximity and I didn't want to be headbutted.'
The officer said he then felt an 'immense weight of pressure' to his right side and felt his Glock 17 semi-automatic pistol move across his leg and around his body.
Pc Marsden said: 'My initial fear is that someone is trying to get my gun. If someone gained my firearm it would pose an immediate lethal threat to anyone in the vicinity.
'The risk of my firearm being taken from me did not stop until we gained control.
'There was more than one person involved here – the aggressor I was trying to arrest and possibly an accomplice who was a much bigger physical build than me and much taller.'
He told prosecutor Paul Greaney KC he started to receive 'blows from all directions' from the second man.
Mr Greaney asked: 'What level of force was being used?'
Pc Marsden replied: 'I can confidently say they were the hardest I have ever felt in my life.'
He said his glasses were knocked off his face and without them he could only see at arm's length.
The prosecution say Amaaz resisted as police tried to move him away from a payment machine to arrest him (Crown Prosecution Service/PA)
He said he was unaware where his two colleagues were during the alleged assaults.
Pc Marsden said: 'I felt they were not in a position to help or they were preoccupied.'
Mr Greaney said: 'Had any other person, a member of the public, intervened in any way to help you?'
The officer replied: 'No members of the public in that room tried to help.
'In the aftermath when I managed to get back on my feet and shout for help, I scanned the room and saw people watching and recording on phones.'
He added: 'I felt that crowd had been hostile. No-one wanted to help us.'
Pc Marsden said he managed to break free from Amaad and deploy his Taser against him before he felt a blow to the head from behind and someone on his back.
He said: 'They were sharper blows that kept connecting to my head. It felt like some sort of implement. My fear was that it could have been some kind of knuckleduster.
'This level of violence was now escalating even further.'
When he felt an arm 'wrap round my throat' he said he believed there could be a third attacker, he told the court.
Muhammed Amaad and his brother are said to have struck out after police were called to respond to an incident (Peter Powell/PA)
He said: 'I thought they were trying to strangle me. I could feel the tightness of the arm around my throat and I stumbled backwards.'
He said, at the time, he had not realised his colleague Pc Cook had discharged her Taser at Amaaz as he held on to him.
Pc Marsden said he freed himself and then went down to arrest the male on the floor.
He told the court: 'I firmly believe had he got up he would have overpowered me. I was starting to feel the strain of those hits, I was unbalanced, I was exhausted. I didn't have the energy to keep in that fight.
'I had never seen anyone react to the police before in such a violent attack. They were so intent on causing us harm.
'He (Amaaz) ignored my commands to put his arms around his back. His chest lifted off the floor and his head towards me.
'He was attempting to get off the floor. I needed to deliver one strike to the facial region to stun the subject.
'Using the soft-laced part of my boot I delivered a kick to the facial region which would buy me valuable seconds in order to take control and hopefully dissuade the subject from trying to get up again.
'The male on the floor rescinded almost immediately, bringing his hands to his face.'
Mohammed Fahir Amaaz is alleged to have headbutted a customer (Peter Powell/PA)
Pc Marsden told the court that he then noticed his police radio had come free from his clothing, attached by a wire, and was swinging in front of him.
He said: 'I needed to get control of the radio to stop it being used as a weapon against me. I brought my foot up and stamped it down in an attempt to clamp the wire and stop it being pulled away.
'I don't believe I managed to connect with the wire and I missed it.'
Mr Greaney asked: 'Did it connect with anything?'
'No,' said the witness.
Mr Greaney said: 'The suggestion being made is that you stamped on the head of Mr Amaaz. Do you believe you made contact with his head?'
'No,' repeated Pc Marsden.
The trial continues on Tuesday when Pc Marsden will be cross-examined by the defence.