Two brothers accused of assaulting a police officer at Manchester Airport in 2024 will not face a third trial after prosecutors failed to provide evidence. Mohammed Fahir Amaaz, 21, and Muhammad Amaad, 26, were filmed in a physical confrontation with PC Zachary Marsden in July 2024.
The video appeared to show one brother on the floor being kicked in the face by Marsden, sparking online criticism and allegations of racial discrimination and police brutality. Two separate juries at Liverpool Crown Court were unable to reach verdicts on whether the brothers assaulted Marsden causing actual bodily harm. After the second jury failed to decide following nearly 20 hours of deliberation over a five-week trial, Judge Flewitt instructed that not guilty verdicts be recorded.
Prosecutor Paul Greaney KC said a third trial would only be pursued in “exceptional circumstances” and that while the charge was serious, it could not be described as one of “extreme gravity”. Amaaz appeared via video link from prison, where he remains for assaulting two other officers, while Amaad sat in court.
Before the retrial, Judge Flewitt referred comments by Nigel Farage to the Attorney General as “potentially a contempt of court” after the Reform UK leader criticised the initial verdict. Farage had said there was a “reluctance to prosecute those violent thugs in Manchester airport”. However, Flewitt ruled the intervention would not affect trial fairness, and no contempt proceedings were issued.
The altercation began when one brother headbutted and punched a man who allegedly verbally abused their mother. Police arrived, and the court heard Amaaz became aggressive, assaulting officers. PC Ward suffered a broken nose. The brothers claimed lawful self-defence, with Amaaz saying he feared for his life. Marsden, suspended after the incident, said he used reasonable force and was not trying to kick Amaaz. The Crown Prosecution Service decided in December 2024 that no officer would face charges, lifting Marsden's suspension. An investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct continues.
