Latest news with #policebrutality
Telegraph
7 hours ago
- Politics
- Telegraph
How the Left compared Manchester Airport brothers to George Floyd
A peer who is advising the Government on its definition of Islamophobia compared the police response to the Manchester Airport attack to the murder of George Floyd. Baroness Shaista Gohir, the chief executive of the Muslim Women's Network UK, condemned the action taken by officers last summer as 'police brutality' with 'remnants of the George Floyd murder'. Mohammed Fahir Amaaz, 20, was convicted on Wednesday of punching Pc Lydia Ward in the face, causing a broken nose, and also of assaulting Pc Ellie Cook. The assault happened on July 23 last year, when Amaaz and his brother, both from Rochdale, Greater Manchester, went to the airport to collect their mother. A fellow passenger who had been on the same flight reported being headbutted in the face by Amaaz during an altercation in a branch of Starbucks in the airport's Terminal 2. When three Greater Manchester Police (GMP) officers approached Amaaz to arrest him in connection with the incident, he lashed out before his brother allegedly intervened. A video of the altercation between the brothers and the police, which went viral on social media, appeared to show Pc Zachary Marsden kicking and stamping on Amaaz during his arrest. He and another officer, who are under investigation over the way Amaaz was detained, face possible gross misconduct charges over the use of force and could be sacked if found guilty. Politicians were immediately divided over how to respond to footage of the airport attack, which gained growing attention online from last July. Yvette Cooper, the Home Secretary, has been accused of initially siding with the brothers over the officers involved in the alternation. Her initial statement at the time said that she '[shared] the deep concern surrounding the video and understands the widespread distress it will have caused'. She said it was 'essential the police have the trust of the communities and the public rightly expect high standards from those in charge of keeping us safe'. After the verdict, Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary, accused Ms Cooper of appearing 'more interested in criticising the police and siding with the attackers than standing up for brave officers who got injured in the line of duty'. He pointed to the written statement from the Home Secretary on July 25, which made no mention of the injured officers. However, she is not the only Left-leaning figure to have voiced their concerns over the treatment of the brothers at the time. Two days after the assault, Lady Gohir issued a statement saying: 'This incident has remnants of the George Floyd murder, and is a stark reminder that minority communities are more likely to face police brutality. 'What is further concerning is that on social media many have praised the police response, including Richard Tice MP of the Reform Party, who described it as 'reassuring'. When police brutality is applauded by influential public figures, it is likely to fuel further racism and Islamophobia.' Floyd was murdered in 2020, when Derek Chauvin, a US police officer, knelt on his neck for over nine minutes on a Minneapolis street despite the dying man's pleas. Police were called after Floyd was believed to have used a counterfeit $20 bill to buy cigarettes, and subsequently refused to return the cigarettes to the shop or pay again. Onlookers filmed the officers restraining him, and his death sparked global anti-racism protests and was the catalyst for the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement. Lady Gohir now sits on the working group that will provide a definition of Islamophobia for the Government. Ministers have faced criticism over the process of drawing up the definition, which has sparked concerns that the current proposals could have a 'chilling effect' on free speech. Claire Coutinho, the shadow equalities minister, claimed that the way in which it was being drawn up was insufficiently open and those working on it were 'activists with extreme views on how to define Islamophobia'. The communities department, headed by Angela Rayner, has insisted that the group is independent and will provide 'evidence-based advice' to ministers. Other Labour MPs at the time of the incident were quick to issue statements addressing the video, saying it was right that the police were referred to the Independent Office of Police Conduct. Paul Waugh, the brothers' local MP, met the family in the aftermath, telling the BBC: 'It's clear from talking to them that they are traumatised. Lots of people saw that video clip and they are distressed by it. 'The police themselves said it was a distressing clip but just imagine if that was your brother or your son in that clip; you can imagine how distraught they are. ' Mr Waugh added that the one of the two 'priorities' for the family was 'justice, and the need for justice not just to be done but to be seen to be done'. However, following the conviction on Wednesday, Mr Waugh appeared to change his tune, with a statement saying: 'This case shows how the police put their own safety at risk every day to protect us all, and have to react in real time to fast-moving incidents.' Meanwhile Lucy Powell, the Leader of the Commons and the MP for Manchester Central, said a day after the video went viral that the police were right to have reported its officers to the watchdog, saying she had been 'extremely disturbed' by the footage. She told the Commons on 25 July: 'I also want to address the truly shocking footage we have seen of an incident at Manchester Airport. It was right of the Greater Manchester police force to refer itself to the Independent Office for Police Conduct, given the widespread concern about the incident.' Meanwhile, Afzal Khan, the Labour MP for Rusholme, said: 'I'm aware of an incident at Manchester Airport where officers appear to use excessive force against an unarmed civilian.' Amaaz was also found guilty of headbutting passenger Abdulkareem Hamzah Abbas Ismaeil during an altercation at the airport last July. But the jury was unable to reach a verdict on a charge that he and his brother, Muhammad Amaad, assaulted armed police officer Pc Marsden. The Crown Prosecution Service has said it will seek a retrial against both men on the outstanding charge. Following the verdicts, Mike Peake, the chairman of the Greater Manchester Police Federation, said: 'Police officers in Manchester work in a difficult, dangerous and dynamic world where there is no such thing as a routine incident. 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. Thirty-five officers are assaulted in Greater Manchester Police every week. We are bloodied and we are bruised. 'We have been supporting the officers concerned in the incident at Manchester Airport last summer since it occurred. And as a Federation we will continue to do so.'
Free Malaysia Today
13 hours ago
- Free Malaysia Today
Suspect who died in police custody assaulted while in cell, inquest finds
Coroner Sazlina Shafie said G Jestus Kevin could have been saved if the police had brought him to the hospital for treatment. (Reuters pic) PETALING JAYA : An odd-job worker who died in police custody five years ago had been assaulted by other inmates, an inquest revealed. Coroner Sazlina Shafie said the police failed to properly monitor G Jestus Kevin, who was sick when he was arrested. And Kevin's condition worsened when he was placed in a cell together with other inmates. 'He was assaulted while in the cell and under the care and control of the police. 'A post-mortem report revealed he died of blunt force trauma, cardiomyopathy and liver steatosis,' she said in her findings, which was read out today in the Kuantan coroner's court. Sazlina also said Kevin was unattended after he was beaten up. She said Kevin could have been saved if the police had brought him to the hospital to be treated for meningoencephalitis – the inflammation of the membranes of the brain and the adjoining cerebral tissue. Instead, she said, he was placed in a cell together with other detainees. 'Based on the findings, I declare that a known person/persons were responsible for his death.' Deputy public prosecutor Azizah Ahmad assisted in the inquiry while lawyers M Visvanathan and Sanjay Visvanathan held a watching brief on behalf of Kevin's family. Kevin and another suspect, M Pathmarajah, were arrested by the police for theft on April 2, 2020, and were remanded for four days pending investigation. Kevin became delirious at around 9pm, two days after his arrest, while being held in a cell. Two years ago, Kevin's father, A Ganaprakasam filed a negligence suit against the police and government after his 30-year-old son died in the police lockup in Bentong, Pahang. He also brought an action for the tort of misfeasance by the police. In the suit filed in the Kuantan High Court, Ganaprakasam, who is also the administrator of his son's estate, is seeking damages and compensation for loss of earnings and support. The plaintiff named 13 policemen, the Bentong police chief, the inspector-general of police and the government as defendants. He has also named two inmates, Shaiful Zakaria and Azril Yusof, who are said to have caused his son's death.
News.com.au
a day ago
- News.com.au
Man who brawled with cops in Manchester Airport guilty of assault after chaos sparked nationwide protests
A man who brawled with cops in Manchester Airport before claiming he was the victim of police brutality has been found guilty of assault. Mohammed Fahir Amaaz, 20, and his brother Muhammad Amaad, 26, sparked nationwide protests after accusing the officers of attacking them. Two of the officers were also probed by the independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) and faced criminal charges. But during their trial, it was alleged the brothers had actually lashed out at police when they were called to deal with an earlier altercation. Amaaz was captured on CCTV headbutting passenger Abdulkareem Ismaeil in a Stabrucks and punching him. When PC Zachary Marsden, PC Ellie Cook and PC Lydia Ward approached the brothers in the car park of Terminal 2, Amaaz and Amaad were accused of displaying a 'high level of violence'. Amaaz has now been convicted of assaulting PC Ward and PC Cook following the horror last July, as well as assaulting Abdulkareem in the Starbucks. He and his brother were also accused of assaulting PC Marsden occasioning actual bodily harm but jurors could not reach a verdict on that count. The Crown Prosecution Service confirmed they will be seeking a retrial on that charge. Footage showed Amaaz resisting arrest as the officers tried to move him away from a payment machine to cuff him. He threw 10 punches – including one to PC Ward's face that sent her crashing to the ground with blood pouring from her nose. Amaaz also twice struck firearms officer PC Cook with his elbow. Both Amaaz and PC Marsden then fell to the ground before the officer got up and appeared to 'stamp' his foot towards Amaaz's head, Liverpool Crown Court heard. But jurors were told the cop 'doesn't appear to connect with Mr Amaaz'. As the brawl continued, the police officers got their Tasers out before managing to handcuff the brothers with the help of other cops. At one point, PC Ward could be seen appearing to cry as she holds her nose. Jurors heard PC Marsden suffered 'post-concussion syndrome' and was left with a 'severe headache' for three days, dizziness, forgetfulness and bruising and swelling. PC Ward was left with a broken nose and needed surgery under general anaesthetic, it was said. The court heard previously that the brothers had gone to meet their mum at the airport on July 23 last year. She had been involved in some sort of incident with Abdulkareem either on their flight or shortly after it. As the brothers passed by Starbucks, the mum pointed out Abdulkareem to her sons as he sat with his wife and children in the cafe. Amaaz entered the cafe and headbutted the dad before punching him a number of times. Protests were held across Rochdale and Manchester after the footage emerged last summer. The brothers later said they were threatened by an officer and thrown to the ground. Their claims saw Greater Manchester Police plunged into crisis as video showed PC Marsden allegedly kicking Amaaz. They initially hired TikTok solicitor Akhmed Yakoob to represent them but he quit when new footage was released revealing the police had been attacked. Amaaz kept up his narrative of being the victim during the trial – claiming he feared he would be 'killed' by PC Marsden during the chaos. He added: 'It's not like it hasn't happened before when police officers have abused their powers and people have died.' Amaaz denied assaulting PC Marsden and PC Ward, causing them actual bodily harm. He was also accused of the assault of PC Cook and the earlier assault of Abdulkareem Ismaeil at Starbucks. Amaad pleaded not guilty to assaulting PC Marsden, causing actual bodily harm. The chairman of the Greater Manchester Police Federation, Mike Peake, said: 'Police officers in Manchester work in a difficult, dangerous, and dynamic world where there is no such thing as a routine incident. 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. 35 officers are assaulted in Greater Manchester Police every week. We are bloodied and we are bruised. 'We have been supporting the officers concerned in the incident at Manchester Airport last summer since it occurred. And as a Federation we will continue to do so. 'We will not be commenting further at this time.' Amaaz will be sentenced at a later date.
Associated Press
a day ago
- Associated Press
Colorado Springs agrees to settle Taser death for $3.2 million
DENVER (AP) — The city of Colorado Springs has agreed to pay $3.2 million to settle a lawsuit in the death of a man who was repeatedly hit by a Taser while resisting being handcuffed in 2018. City councilors met in closed session to discuss a settlement in the lawsuit over the death of Jeffrey Melvin on Tuesday and voted 6-2 to approve it during a brief public portion of their meeting. Deputy City Council Administrator Michael Montgomery confirmed the amount of the settlement, which was announced by lawyers for Melvin's family. Melvin's death was part of a 2024 Associated Press investigation that looked at cases over a decade where hundreds of people died even though police had used force that was only meant to stop them, not kill them. Most violations involved pinning people face down in ways that could restrict their breathing or stunning them repeatedly with Tasers. One of two Colorado Springs officers who fired their Tasers at Melvin a combined eight times testified in the lawsuit that he was not trained about the danger of shocking someone more than three times. The deputy chief of the Colorado Springs Police Department at the time testified that its policy allowed officers to keep delivering electricity until the person's behavior changed. The department determined the officers did nothing wrong. The settlement came as the lawsuit was about to go to a trial next month. In a statement, the police department said the decision to settle was made by the city's insurance provider and was not an admission that its training standards were inadequate or that it had failed to properly train its officers. 'While CSPD respects the contractual authority of our insurance carrier to force a settlement in this case, which they did, we do not agree with that decision and were prepared to proceed with a trial,' it said.
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Whose side are you on? As Manchester Airport thug who attacked female cops is found GUILTY, top Tories accuse 'shameful' Labour ministers of failing to fully support police when fight footage first emerged
Senior Tories have demanded apologies from Labour ministers over a lack of support for police officers brutally attacked at Manchester Airport. Chris Philp attacked the home secretary for questioning police standards after a female officer had her nose broken in the melee last July. And Robert Jenrick blasted leader of the House of Commons Lucy Powell for raising concerns about police conduct in Parliament over the shocking brawl. One of two brothers who brawled with officers before claiming to the court he was the victim of police brutality has now been convicted of assaulting two female cops and a male passenger. Mohammed Fahir Amaaz, 20, was found guilty of attacking PC Lydia Ward and PC Ellie Cook in the car park pay station of Terminal 2 on July 23 last year. He was also found guilty of headbutting holidaymaker Abdulkareem Ismaeil. Shortly after the fight, footage emerged which the court head was allegedly of PC Zachary Marsden kicking Amaaz in the head – it prompted anti-police protests with a number of prominent Labour politicians voicing concern about police conduct. But there was a fierce backlash when leaked CCTV also subsequently shown to the court appeared to show a violent unprovoked assault to which PC Marsden and two female colleagues had been subjected just seconds earlier. Before all the leaked footage which was subsequently seen in court provided a fuller picture of what transpired, Labour MP for Rochdale Paul Waugh criticised the police, saying: 'Our police face a very difficult job every day in keeping us all safe, but they themselves know that they have to expect the highest standards of conduct in their duties.' Leader of the House of Commons Lucy Powell, herself the Labour MP for Manchester Central, said she would pass his comments on to Home Secretary Yvette Cooper and added: 'Clearly the footage is incredibly disturbing and there's understandably a lot of concern, particularly in his constituency because it was his constituent affected.' And Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said she understood 'the widespread distress' the footage had caused, and said she had spoken to police about the 'urgent steps' they were taking. She had added that it was 'essential' police had the trust of communities, and the public 'rightly expect high standards from those in charge of keeping us safe'. Shadow home secretary Chris Philp said Ms Cooper's comments at the time showed she had been more interested in criticising the police than standing up for brave officers injured in the line of duty. 'A female officer had her nose broken by this vile thug, and the Home Secretary had nothing to say about that when it happened,' he said. 'Instead, her statement referred to the importance of the 'trust of communities' and questioned police standards. 'It is shameful that Yvette Cooper's statement did not include any mention of the police officers who were attacked at Manchester airport last year even though it has been reported that she was aware they had been injured when she made it.' Constable Lydia Ward, who jurors heard is heavily pregnant, told of being 'terrified' after coming under attack - as footage of her injuries were was shown to a court And shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick said many were too quick to judge the police before they knew the full story. 'Those Labour politicians' who he claimed had rushed to judgement 'before awaiting the full facts should be ashamed,' he said. 'The cabinet minister, Lucy Powell, mistakenly raised concerns in the House of Commons. She should issue a full public apology. 'Police officers do a difficult job. They don't always get it right. But if we're to fight crime and make our country safe again, the police need to know we've got their backs when they tackle violent offenders.' Ms Cooper said she had always offered strong support to police officers who face appalling situations every day. 'I have spoken with Greater Manchester Police about this incident to ensure the officers get the support they need because it is important that they do,' she said. 'At the time, Greater Manchester Police referred that case to make sure it was fully investigated, and it was. It has been investigated properly by the CPS, who bought charges and to make sure that all the circumstances were investigated.' Jurors at Liverpool Crown Court could not reach majority verdicts on either Amaaz or his elder brother Muhammed Amaad, 26, for assault causing actual bodily harm on PC Zachary Marsden. The Crown Prosecution Service will now seek a retrial of both brothers in relation to the allegations that Amaaz and Amaad assaulted PC Marsden causing actual bodily harm, Paul Greaney KC told the court.
