Mohammed Fahir Amaaz, 21, jailed for three-and-a-half years for attacking two police officers and assaulting a member of the public during a violent fracas at Manchester Airport, is to have his case heard at the Court of Appeal in London on Friday (October 16), according to court documents.
Amaaz was found guilty of assaulting Abdulkareem Ismaeil by beating, assaulting PC Lydia Ward occasioning actual bodily harm, and assaulting an emergency worker, PC Ellie Cook, by beating, following a trial in 2025. He was sentenced at Liverpool Crown Court on July 26.
Details of the incident
The incident occurred after Amaaz and his older brother Muhammad Amaad, 26, attended the airport to pick up their mother from a flight on July 23, 2024. Amaaz headbutted Mr Ismaeil after confronting him at a Starbucks in the terminal. Amaaz's mother claimed Mr Ismaeil had racially abused her during her flight.
Police were called and found the brothers at a Terminal 2 car park pay station. Amaaz was captured throwing 10 punches, two 'elbow strikes', and one kick. PC Ward suffered a broken nose, with footage showing her bloodied and sobbing. PC Cook, an armed officer, was also injured. Amaaz claimed he acted in self-defence.
Appeal and sentencing remarks
A court spokesperson confirmed that Amaaz is appealing against the sentence handed down by Judge Neil Flewitt KC. Sentencing, the judge told Amaaz: "It would have been open to you, having seen the CCTV, to say there was no justification for your attack on Ismaeil, PC Ward and PC Cook. Instead, you sought to blame others for what was your responsibility and portray yourself as the victim. That does not bode well for your rehabilitation."
Amaaz and his brother Amaad were also accused of assaulting armed officer PC Zachary Marsden. The jury in 2025 and a jury at a second trial which concluded earlier this year failed to reach verdicts on that count, and the trial judge ruled not guilty verdicts be entered.
Victim impact statement
In a victim impact statement addressing Amaaz, PC Ward said: "As a police officer you know there will be times that you'll come across conflict and violence but, in my experience, there have always been indications that a situation is escalating, or you would go into a situation expecting high conflict due to various indicators such as alcohol or drugs. The day you attacked us was different. We were totally blindsided, and I felt like it came from nowhere. I genuinely thought you would have agreed to come outside for a conversation about what you had done in Starbucks. There were no indications. I never in a million years thought you would have attacked me the way you did. I'm still so confused about it all. It replays in my mind constantly."
"In the moments before you punched me, I remember you looked directly into my eyes. Could you see how scared I was? I was petrified. I just remember hitting the floor and thinking 'this is it'. I felt instant pain and then I saw the blood. I didn't know what was going on. I watched as you took down my colleagues. I tried to get up onto my feet, I had no choice, I needed to help them. What was going on? The whole situation was so confusing. I have never seen anyone so violent. I have never been so scared. It was utterly terrifying. I had to have an operation to my nose, and I am left with a small scar. Every time I look in the mirror, I am forever reminded of what you did to me. This will be a trigger for the rest of my life."
Footage of the incident went viral on social media in the aftermath, appearing to show an armed officer kicking Amaaz to the head as he lay on the ground. The Manchester Evening News later published exclusive footage which showed the lead up to the incident.
