A 20-year-old student, Mohammed Fahir Amaaz, has been found guilty of violently attacking two female police officers during a chaotic altercation at Manchester Airport.
The disturbance, which took place on July 23 last year, gained national attention after mobile phone footage went viral online, showing the intense confrontation involving Greater Manchester Police officers.
After a three-week trial at Liverpool Crown Court, Amaaz was convicted of causing actual bodily harm to PC Lydia Ward and assaulting emergency worker PC Ellie Cook.
He was also found guilty of a separate assault earlier that day on Abdulkareem Ismaeil inside a Starbucks café in the airport’s arrivals area.
Despite hours of deliberation, the jury could not reach verdicts on charges that Amaaz and his older brother, Muhammad Amaad, 26, also assaulted PC Zachary Marsden, causing him actual bodily harm.
Prosecutors have since indicated plans to seek a retrial on those unresolved charges.
The incident unfolded after police responded to reports of a man matching Amaaz’s description allegedly headbutting a civilian.
Officers Ward, Cook, and Marsden approached him at the airport car park’s pay station.
According to prosecutors, Amaaz became aggressive after being approached from behind, sparking a violent struggle.
He reportedly punched PC Ward, fracturing her nose, and knocked PC Cook to the ground. He was also alleged to have attacked PC Marsden before being subdued with a Taser.
Footage also captured PC Marsden delivering a kick and a stamp to Amaaz while he lay on the ground.
However, jurors were told that the Independent Office for Police Conduct is still investigating the officer’s actions, despite the Crown Prosecution Service’s earlier decision not to press charges.
During the trial, Amaaz and Amaad claimed they acted in self-defence, arguing that officers failed to identify themselves and used excessive force.
Amaaz testified he feared he would be “battered to death” by the “lunatic” officer, while Amaad said he believed he was being attacked.
Recounting the attack, PC Ward described the moment she was punched, “As I came round, all I could feel was blood pouring out of my nose. I was just thinking he has done something to my nose, face area, I didn’t know what has happened. I was terrified to be honest. I was absolutely terrified. I had never experienced that level of violence towards me in my life.”
Greater Manchester Police Federation chair Mike Peake said the conviction reflected the grim reality officers face, “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.”
“[Thirty-five] officers are assaulted in Greater Manchester Police every week. We are bloodied and we are bruised.”
He confirmed the federation has been supporting the officers involved since the incident.
Chief Constable Sir Stephen Watson also expressed his full backing for a retrial regarding the remaining charges, stating, “Our officers are decent people who routinely place themselves in harm’s way to protect the public. They deserve our respect and support. 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.”
PC Marsden, giving evidence, said he was unaware Amaaz had already been Tasered when he kicked him.
He claimed the kick was intended “to stun the subject” and denied stamping on Amaaz’s head, saying he had attempted to pin down a loose radio wire to prevent it from being used as a weapon.
Amaaz is currently in custody awaiting sentencing, with a bail hearing scheduled for Thursday.
