Mohammed Fahir Amaaz, 21, has been jailed for three-and-a-half years after attacking two female police officers and a member of the public at Manchester Airport in July 2024. The sentence was handed down at Liverpool Crown Court today.
Attack on Police Officers
Amaaz assaulted PC Ellie Cook and PC Lydia Ward, who was unarmed and suffered a broken nose after being punched in the face. CCTV footage captured Amaaz throwing 10 punches, two elbow strikes, and one kick during the incident on July 23, 2024. He also headbutted a man named Abdulkareem Ismaeil after confronting him at a Starbucks inside Terminal 2.
PC Ward, who was a police constable at the time, told the court she was "petrified" by Amaaz's "utterly terrifying and cowardly attack," describing herself as his "punchbag." She was left with a scar on her nose. With her voice trembling, she said: "It's hard for me to think back to the incident. I have so many unanswered questions and I struggle to make sense of it all. I question myself a lot; what did I do to deserve it? Did I do something wrong? I'm not sure I'll ever get my answers."
The officer continued: "Look at me, standing here. What do you see? I'll tell you what you see. You see a female. A female who is 5ft2 and at the time of the incident I weighed no more than 8 stone. You are a male and you chose to attack me without a second thought. You chose to attack a female. You knocked me to the ground with one punch, with so much force you broke my nose. How would you feel if a male did that to your mother?"
Impact on Victims
PC Cook, a firearms officer at the airport, said in a statement that her life was "changed forever" by the attack. Her statement read: "I don't think you will ever begin to understand what you have done to me, or my family. I used to be happy. I used to be driven. I used to be focused. I am now broken." She had to be signed off work in February 2025 due to duty-related trauma, lost significant weight because she could only eat mushed food due to jaw pain, and still suffers from shooting pains in her jaw, regular headaches, and trouble sleeping.
PC Cook also criticised Amaaz for "spinning the narrative the way you did" and said: "It pains me to say this, but because of what you have done to me I have decided to give up being a firearms officer. I just can't face it at the minute."
Details of the Incident
Prosecutor Paul Greaney KC outlined how Amaaz delivered multiple blows to PC Cook, with six landing. He noted that had she not deployed her Taser, "it's obvious the violence would have continued." The attacks occurred in view of children, including those of Mr Ismaeil, who were distressed seeing their father attacked. The incident began after Amaaz and his older brother Muhammad Amaad, 26, picked up their mother from a flight.
Defence Arguments
Imran Khan KC, mitigating for Amaaz, said the defendant comes from a large family with several police officers. His brother described him as a caring man who always helped his family. Another reference mentioned his charity work. The defence argued the attack was "not what Fahir is" and "completely alien to his character," suggesting he was acting instinctively to protect his mother. Mr Khan said: "These offences took place in a context of a young man who wanted to help others. The offence was not premeditated." He claimed Amaaz was reacting to what he perceived as unlawful force and was defending himself and his brother.
Amaaz had no previous interaction with police or the criminal justice system, and a probation report indicated a "strong" prospect of rehabilitation. Mr Khan argued: "He has a future that he can rebuild if there is a short prison sentence."
Legal Proceedings
Amaaz and his brother both faced assault charges in relation to PC Zachary Marsden, who was also present. Juries in two separate trials could not reach verdicts on one count of assault on an armed police officer, and a judge formally entered not guilty verdicts in May 2025. However, Amaaz was found guilty of assaulting Mr Ismaeil by beating, assaulting PC Ward occasioning actual bodily harm, and assaulting an emergency worker, PC Cook, by beating. The Crown Prosecution Service decided not to seek a third trial for Mr Amaad, who walked free. Footage of the confrontation at the Terminal 2 car park pay station went viral on social media. The brothers, from Rochdale, insisted they acted in self-defence. The Independent Office for Police Conduct continues to investigate the officer's conduct.
