Mohammed Fahir Amaaz, 21, has been jailed for three years and six months after being convicted of assaulting two female police officers at Manchester Airport on July 23, 2024. The attack, captured on mobile phone and CCTV footage, showed Amaaz throwing at least 10 punches during the violent confrontation at the Terminal 2 car park pay station area.
Details of the Attack
Three Greater Manchester Police officers—PC Zachary Marsden, PC Ellie Cook, and PC Lydia Ward—responded to reports that a man matching Amaaz's description had headbutted a member of the public at a Starbucks café inside the airport. The Crown alleged that Amaaz resisted officers' efforts to escort him outside, and his brother Muhammad Amaad intervened, with both men deploying a high level of violence. Amaaz claimed he feared for his life, stating that PC Marsden pushed his head towards the ground with a hand over his neck.
The widely shared mobile phone footage initially sparked protests as it showed a young Asian male being kicked in the face by a male police officer. However, later CCTV clips revealed that the officers had been punched multiple times before the male officer's response.
Impact on the Victims
During the sentencing hearing at Liverpool Crown Court on June 26, PC Lydia Ward read a statement describing the lasting effects of the assault. She said: "I look at myself now and I can see the difference in my face compared to how it was before this happened. You did that to me. You changed my face. This is something that really upsets me. Again, I'll ask you; did I deserve this? What was it that I did that was so wrong you felt you needed to attack me?"
She added: "For a long time, I felt like everyone was looking at me. I was conscious of all the bruising on my face. Did people recognise me from the footage or were they thinking my partner had beaten me up? It was a horrible place to be in and for what? For doing my job. I had to stay off work for a month, a job that I loved."
PC Cook's Decision to Leave Firearms Unit
PC Ellie Cook told the court that the attack forced her to give up her role as a firearms officer. Her statement read: "I don't understand why you chose to do that. What did you get out of it apart from hurting us further? Do you even know? I'm so lucky to have the support of my family around me; my mum, dad and brother, but this has had such a detrimental effect on their lives, especially my mum. It pains me to see what she went through."
She continued: "She lost weight, she wasn't sleeping, she was petrified someone would turn up at the address. She was a nervous wreck. I feel guilty that she felt that way, but it was you who did that to her, not me. You put us all in danger. 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. This means my dream of becoming a close protection officer is on hold, and I may have to come to terms with the fact that it may not happen."
Legal Outcome
Amaaz and his brother Muhammad Amaad, 26, both of Rochdale, Greater Manchester, were also charged with assaulting PC Zachary Marsden. However, juries at two trials failed to reach a verdict on that count, and the Crown Prosecution Service decided not to pursue a third trial. The men claimed they acted in lawful self-defence or defence of each other.
