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Ex-PC banned from profession after sexual assault
Ex-PC banned from profession after sexual assault

BBC News

timean hour ago

  • BBC News

Ex-PC banned from profession after sexual assault

A former police officer has been banned from the profession after being convicted of two counts of sexual assault. Hatel Patel, who resigned from the Greater Manchester Police while under investigation in October 2022, pleaded guilty to the sexual assault of two women over the age of 16. The 39-year-old was given an eight month sentence, which was suspended for two years, at Manchester Magistrates' Court in March. During a police misconduct hearing, Chief Constable Stephen Watson said Patel would have been dismissed without notice if he had not previously resigned. In his ruling, Mr Watson said Patel, who was not present at the hearing, acted in a "thoroughly offensive, unprofessional and disturbing manner" while commending the victims for their "courage and integrity" in coming forward. He said: "Mr Patel has paid a heavy price for his offending."He rightly stands convicted of sexual offences; it has caused him to lose his position as a constable and he has lost his good name and reputation."Given the features of this case I find I am unable to reconcile the maintenance of public confidence with doing anything other than making the clearest declaration that had Mr Patel not resigned, I would have dismissed him from the service without notice."Patel has been placed on the College of Policing's barred list. Listen to the best of BBC Radio Manchester on Sounds and follow BBC Manchester on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.

'We are bloodied and we are bruised' Police chief praises officers who put themselves in 'harm's way' during brutal Manchester Airport brawl and thanks public for their support - as student, 20, is convicted of assault
'We are bloodied and we are bruised' Police chief praises officers who put themselves in 'harm's way' during brutal Manchester Airport brawl and thanks public for their support - as student, 20, is convicted of assault

Daily Mail​

time2 days ago

  • Daily Mail​

'We are bloodied and we are bruised' Police chief praises officers who put themselves in 'harm's way' during brutal Manchester Airport brawl and thanks public for their support - as student, 20, is convicted of assault

A Police chief has thanked the public for backing officers brutally assaulted in a brawl at Manchester Airport after a student was convicted over the attack. One of two brothers accused of raining down blows during the incident was found guilty on Wednesday of assaulting two female police officers. The case gained national attention after shocking footage of a policeman kicking a teenage suspect in the head as he lay prone on the ground was viewed millions of times. But days later leaked CCTV of the moments before showed how Mohammed Fahir Amaaz had fought and grappled with the officer and two female colleagues. On Wednesday, after a four-week trial in Liverpool, Amaaz - now 20 - was convicted of assaulting PC Lydia Ward, causing actual bodily harm. The university student was also convicted of one charge of assault by beating of armed officer PC Ellie Cook, whose face was left bruised and swollen. Sir Stephen Watson, Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police, praised the officers for putting themselves in 'harm's way' to tackle 'outrageous criminal behaviour'. He added: 'I am particularly grateful to those many members of the public who have contacted the force in order to pass on their best wishes to the officers affected.' He said the officers 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 Greater Manchester - such attacks can never be justified,' Sir Stephen said. Mike Peake, chairman of Greater Manchester Police Federation, which has been supporting the officers involved, said the public needed to get behind the police. 'Police officers in Manchester work in a difficult, dangerous and dynamic world where there is no such thing as a routine incident,' he said. 'They deserve support in that work from the public and politicians. 'The distressing scenes we have seen during this trial show some of the worst side of police work that our officers are faced with. We are bloodied and we are bruised.' Following the incident PC Zachary Marsden was suspended and investigated by police watchdog the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC). After a delay of 150 days the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) announced last December that he would not face any charges, while Amaaz and his brother Muhammad Amaad, 26, would both stand trial. The jury had been shown graphic footage of red-headed PC Ward sobbing and bleeding after being caught by a left hook from Amaaz. Jurors also found him guilty of assault by beating against holidaymaker Abdulkareem Ismaeil. The case gained national attention after shocking footage of PC Marsden kicking a teenage suspect in the head as he lay prone on the ground was viewed millions of times The police officers had been attempting to arrest him for headbutting the Kuwaiti minutes earlier. Amaaz had accused him of racially abusing his mother on an incoming flight. However, jurors at Liverpool Crown Court could not reach verdicts on either Amaaz or Amaad for assault causing actual bodily harm against PC Marsden. Both brothers denied all the charges, arguing that they were acting in self-defence or the defence of one another. The CPS will now seek a retrial of the brothers - both from Rochdale - in relation to the allegations that they assaulted PC Marsden. And while Amaaz now faces a possible prison sentence, PC Marsden could also still face criminal charges. Although no longer suspended, he remains under investigation by the IOPC, which has been monitoring the trial. It could still refer him back to the CPS to consider pressing charges, jurors were told. A second male Greater Manchester Police officer - who along with PC Marsden confronted bystanders filming the brawl - also remains under investigation. The violence erupted at 8.28pm on July 23 last year as officers responded to reports of Amaaz headbutting Mr Ismaeil at a Starbucks cafe in the Terminal 2 arrivals area minutes earlier. PC Marsden and his female colleagues caught up with Amaaz, then 19, as he and his brother were paying for parking, accompanied by their mother and six-year-old nephew. Giving evidence, PC Marsden told jurors that based on the violence of the headbutt they decided to get 'immediate control' of the teenager and take him in for questioning. Instead, shocking footage shown to the jury from multiple angles including police bodycams showed how Amaaz resisted arrest. In court, PC Marsden said he had thrown a pre-emptive punch, fearing heavily-built Amaad was trying to grab his loaded Glock 17 semi-automatic pistol from its holster. Amaaz - who threw ten punches in the melee - hit and elbowed PCs Cook and Ward before tackling PC Marsden, who had managed to fire his 50,000 volt Taser at Amaad. In the flurry of violence PC Cook then managed to Taser Amaaz, who fell to the floor and was kicked by PC Marsden, whose glasses had been knocked off in the melee. Asked about the kick, PC Marsden said he was attempting to 'stun' Amaaz, not immediately realising in the confusion that he had been tasered. PC Marsden said he used the 'soft, laced' part of his boot - adding that he 'strongly disputed' that there was any element of anger or 'retaliation'. He also aimed a stamp next to Amaaz's head - telling the court he had been trying to 'clamp' the wire of his police radio, which was hanging loose. Throughout the altercation, bystanders simply filmed it on their mobile phones, PC Marsden said, describing the watching crowd as 'hostile'. Back-up officers then arrived at the scene shouting 'You f****** move, I'll smash your f****** face in' and handcuffed both brothers before they were hauled off for questioning. Neither made any comment when they were interviewed the following day. Prosecutors had urged jurors to 'trust their eyes and ears' over the multiple angles of footage and police officers' testimony they had seen and heard. All three officers acted in a 'professional' manner throughout, they argued, saying claims by the brothers' defence that the police trio had been 'out of control' was 'false'. Neither brother has been in trouble with the police before, and six members of the family - including older brother Abid - are current or former officers with Greater Manchester Police. A former assistant manager at KFC, Amaad himself twice applied unsuccessfully to join the force - including a 999 dispatch role just three months before the airport incident. Younger brother Amaaz, meanwhile, has since begun studying sport marketing and management at Manchester Metropolitan University. In court, their defence teams highlighted how the officers did not announce themselves or say why they were attempting to arrest Amaaz. Asked why he resisted arrest, Amaaz said he hadn't initially realised PC Marsden was a policeman - despite his uniform and cap marked 'police' - and was 'scared'. As jurors delivered their verdicts after deliberating for ten hours, the public gallery was packed with supporters of the brothers, who stood side by side in the glass-walled dock. Four uniformed police officers were stationed inside the courtroom but there was no reaction from their supporters. The 11-strong jury unanimously found Amaaz guilty of ABH against PC Ward and common assault against Mr Ismaeil. They convicted him of assault by beating against PC Cook by a majority of ten to one. However, they could not reach verdicts on allegations that either brother had assaulted PC Marsden causing actual bodily harm. Amaaz - who did not react as the jury delivered their verdicts - was remanded in custody ahead of a bail application on Thursday. Afterwards Aamer Anwar, solicitor for the brothers, said: 'As proceedings are still live it would be inappropriate to comment further.'

No-nonsense anti-woke police chief's latest action smashes gangs receiving drugs by mail order to sell on streets
No-nonsense anti-woke police chief's latest action smashes gangs receiving drugs by mail order to sell on streets

Daily Mail​

time2 days ago

  • Daily Mail​

No-nonsense anti-woke police chief's latest action smashes gangs receiving drugs by mail order to sell on streets

Gangs receiving drugs by mail order to sell in crime-blighted communities faced the full force of the law today - as part of a no-nonsense chief constable's latest crackdown. A series of raids were carried out by Greater Manchester Police, whose boss spoke to the Daily Mail pledging a war on woke and to uphold basic standards of law and order. Officers smashed down doors at residential addresses in the early hours of the morning and led suspects from their beds. They also searched a serving prisoner's cell as part of their efforts to crack down on the trade. The action took place as part of Operation Vulcan, Greater Manchester's ongoing campaign against organised criminal gangs spearheaded by the force's no-nonsense boss Stephen Watson. This time, attention was focused on the Derker area of Oldham, where gangs have been selling cannabis in the community which they received by mail order. Warrants were 'executed' at five homes, as well as the cell search at Oakwood prison, Staffordshire, leading to the arrests of four men and two women, who were taken in for questioning. Supt Jen Kelly, of Greater Manchester Police, in charge of the action involving 30-40 officers who started the raids at 5am, said: 'We were responding to intelligence about quite significant amounts of cannabis being imported to sell in the area over a period of time. 'The warrants were executed at residential addresses which we believe were being used for the delivery of parcels. We found some quantities of drugs, cash and other items which will support our investigation, such as phones.' Weapons were also discovered, including a crossbow and machete. Today's arrests were of four men aged between 18 and 32 and a woman, 26, on suspicion of being concerned in the supply and importation of controlled drugs, and a second woman, also aged 26, on suspicion of assisting an offender. They add to the 122 arrests already made by the Vulcan team since they began their work in Derker in March. Previous successes in the area have included the discovery of £20,000 of cannabis after the arrest of a 17-year-old boy on a motorbike who failed to stop when requested by a police patrol. Supt Kelly, who was at one of the addresses where officers entered this morning by smashing down a glazed door, said the team also worked with HM Prison Service to search the cell at Oakwood as they believed a serving prisoner was also part of the conspiracy. She said police became aware of the apparent drugs mail order supply ring via a separate police initiative, Operation Concept, which involved 'working with other agencies to intercept parcels'. The raids come after a large quantity of other evidence was gathered against suspects in recent weeks and months. The officer said: 'People might expect an investigation into cannabis supply to involve large cannabis farms in communities but criminals use innovative methods all the time.' She added: 'There's a misconception that cannabis is low-level but it does have a serious impact on communities in terms of the organised crime behind it, which brings fear and intimidation. The harm associated with it is really significant.' Supt Kelly said the Operation Vulcan team chose Derker because the area has recently become 'synonymous with violent crime' and required urgent action. Shootings, robberies, and general anti-social behaviour such as gang members riding around illegally on electric scooters had become commonplace. 'It was becoming too big a problem for local policing to tackle,' she added. Supt Kelly said the team plan to remain in the area for the coming weeks. 'We're committed to action in Derker to see sustainable change. We're focused on targeted activity on a weekly basis and a major focus of our efforts will also be community engagement,' she said. By the end of last year, Derker had become a by-word for everything wrong with Greater Manchester: gangs acting with impunity, 10-year-old children peddling drugs in exchange for nicotine vapes, families afraid to go about their lives. And, perhaps worst of all, the area had become notorious for the horrific practice of 'cuckooing,' in which criminals take over the homes of vulnerable people – such as the elderly or unwell – and use them for stashing and dealing drugs. Quite simply, something had to change. Greater Manchester Police's no-nonsense Chief Constable Stephen Watson, who has mounted initiatives targeting drug dealers, counterfeiters and organised crime gangs blighting city Operation Vulcan has previously targeted gangs responsible for counterfeit goods sold in Manchester's Cheetham Hill district, and drug dealers around the notorious Piccadilly Gardens area of the city centre. The effort against counterfeiters, which started in 2023, saw more than £143m of bogus goods seized from Cheetham Hill, known as the UK's counterfeit capital, 227 arrests and a 50% reduction in violent crime. In April, the Mail met the mastermind behind Operation Vulcan: Chief Constable Stephen Watson, whose anti-woke, no-nonsense approach to policing has revolutionised Greater Manchester Police (GMP) since he took over in May 2021. Watson's approach has included making sure his force ensures every crime report is dealt with to the highest standard. On the ground, Watson has added an extra 690 neighbourhood coppers and made sure every crime is investigated to the highest standards. 'We're not going to turn out the murder squad just because you've had your fence kicked in,' he explained. 'But we can't be too busy not to bother with that sort of stuff.' Since Watson took over, GMP has increased stop and search by an astonishing 392 per cent. And what's more, according to the chief, 30 per cent of those searches end in an arrest. However, above all, it is the change in attitudes that Watson is most proud of. 'There used to be this attitude of, 'these are the things we haven't got, and therefore these are the things we can't do,' he revealed as we drove through the streets of Oldham. 'Now, our approach is, 'This is what we have got. This is what we are going to do. And we're going to do it brilliantly. We're going to do it now. We're going to do it in a way that makes an impact'.' Such a no-nonsense approach to policing has turned an unwitting Watson into something of a poster boy for anti-woke causes. Characteristically, however, it isn't something he's paid much attention to. He said: 'If suggesting that taking the knee in the middle of a rally is a bad idea makes me anti-woke, then I'm anti-woke.'

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