The Ludicrous Defence Offered by Convicted Police Beater Amaaz

Mohammed Fahir Amaaz, 20, of Tarnside Close, Rochdale, has been convicted of violently assaulting two police officers and a member of the public at Manchester Airport on Tuesday, 23rd July 2024.

Amaaz was convicted of the assault occasioning actual bodily harm of PC Lydia Ward; the assault of PC Ellie Cook, an emergency worker exercising in her functions as such; and the assault by beating of Abdulkareem Ismaeil. The jury was unable to reach a verdict in relation to whether or not Amaaz committed assault occasioning actual bodily harm on PC Zachary Marsden.

Amaaz's brother, Muhammad Amaad, 26, was also accused of assault occasioning actual bodily harm on PC Marsden, but the jury was unable to reach a verdict on that matter. I should stress, however, that neither Amaaz nor Amaad have ever denied their involvement in the assaults - the stumbling block for the jury has been the self-defence aspect. The CCTV and body worn video footage provides an indisputable account of the brothers' actions on that day, so any denials of their involvement would have been futile.

At the very start of the trial I posted on Twitter that I would “keep my powder dry” until the verdict was in. Despite my lack of commentary, I have been following matters very closely. It’s fair to say that as early as day one, there were clear indications of Amaaz’s guilt.

I can’t help but think Amaaz has been poorly advised. He had clearly heard that self-defence was an absolute defence to all of the charges against him, so has thrown literally everything at the self-defence argument. Indeed the self-defence argument has been so overhyped that Amaaz’s account had no credibility whatsoever.

Were the jury seriously meant to believe that Amaaz thought that he was about to be gunned down or “battered to death” by the police, in cold blood, in a busy airport terminal, in front of dozens of onlookers and in full gaze of CCTV cameras? Were the jury seriously meant to believe that Amaaz was unaware he was being tackled by police officers, when in the next breath he attempted to justify his violent response by saying he was fearful of police brutality?

On day one we saw CCTV footage of what can only be described as a vicious and unprovoked assault on Mr Ismaeil. Apparently there had been tension between Mr Ismaeil and Shameem Achtar, the mother of Amaaz and Amaad, who had just arrived at the airport on a flight from Pakistan.

The footage showed Mrs Achtar and her sons scouring the terminal building for Mr Ismaeil, who she dutifully pointed out to her boys. Mr Ismaeil, his wife and their three young children were in Starbucks at the time. Amaaz, Amaad and Mrs Achtar approached Mr Ismaeil and there was a short period of animated conversation between them. In a sudden burst of aggression Amaaz violently headbutted Mr Ismaeil, seemingly launching his entire torso at his unsuspecting target. The presence of young children and families was clearly no deterrent to Amaaz’s violent attack.

The offence against Mr Ismaeil could only ever be charged as assault by beating, as he did not support the prosecution and therefore the Crown had no evidence of his injuries. A person can be convicted of assault by beating even if they cause no physical injuries.

As a result of the assault on Mr Ismaeil a 999 call was made to the police. I have little doubt the call would have conveyed the brutal, unprovoked nature of Amaaz’s attack. Such a report would have immediately put the responding officers on their guard. A short time later three officers approached the brothers at a car park payment machine - PCs Marsden, Cook and Ward. All were in full police uniform. PCs Marsden and Cook were armed; PC Ward was not. Having identified the distinctively-dressed Amaaz as their suspect the officers attempted to effect an arrest, which was met with immediate resistance.

It’s important to put yourself in the officers’ shoes at this point. All they knew was that the man in front of them, Amaaz, was accused of violently assaulting another man in Starbucks. He was therefore a dangerous suspect, who needed to be dealt with swiftly and robustly. Given the circumstances, it was entirely appropriate for the officers to take immediate control of Amaaz. Despite their caution, there is no way they would have expected such a violent response from the brothers.

Further CCTV footage and body worn video footage showed the moment the officers approached Amaaz. The brothers said they didn’t realise it was the police, but the footage leaves little doubt that they did. Amaad could be seen looking in the direction of the three officers as they approached. CCTV footage also showed Amaad saying something to Amaaz just before the police’s arrival. As mentioned earlier, Amaaz offered immediate resistance. Amaad, the older and stockier of the pair, walked around two of the officers and tried to pull his brother free from their grip. PC Marsden responded by delivering a punch to Amaad’s head.

With the officers now distracted by Amaad, the younger brother, Amaaz, took the opportunity to deliver a violent kick - more akin to a stamp - at the torso of PC Marsden. Amaad then hooked his right arm around PC Marsden’s neck, forcing him to the ground with further left-handed punches to the side of his head. PC Marsden managed to draw his taser and aimed at Amaad, who immediately became compliant. PC Marsden, who is short-sighted, lost his spectacles during the scuffle.

At the same time Amaaz delivered two punches to the back of PC Cook’s head, knocking off her cap. He then punched the face of PC Ward, breaking her nose in the process. PC Cook approached Amaaz again and was greeted by a third punch directly to her face, causing her to fall to the ground.

Amaaz denied knowledge that these two officers were female, despite their flowing long hair and feminine appearances.

Amaaz then turned his attention to PC Marsden, who was covering Amaad with his taser. Amaaz punched the rear of PC Marsden’s head twice, before grabbing him around the neck and dragging him backwards away from Amaad. By this stage PC Cook had drawn her taser and shouted a warning, but Amaaz continued to hold onto PC Marsden. PC Cook then discharged her taser at Amaaz, whose rigid body fell immediately to the ground. A second or two later PC Marsden was seen to kick Amaaz’s limp body in the face, before stamping in the direction of his head. Fortunately the stamp didn’t connect. Mrs Achtar was seen trying to pull PC Marsden from her son, which resulted in the officer striking her face with his taser.

Satisfied that Amaaz had been subdued, PC Marsden turned his attention back to Amaad, who was kneeling with his hands behind his head. PC Marsden kicked at Amaad’s body, causing him to fall to the ground. At that point PC Marsden was joined by two more officers who helped to restrain Amaad.

The initial confrontation between the officers and brothers was sudden and intense, with the Crown counting the exchange of twelve blows in less than two seconds.

Given the overwhelming weight of CCTV and body worn video evidence, Amaaz's only hope was to play the self-defence card - something he did in an overexaggerated and utterly unbelievable manner.

Despite the glowing character references from his select group of friends and police officer brother, there is little doubt that Amaaz is a violent, dishonest thug.

Decent people do not behave the way he did towards Mr Ismaeil or the officers, which makes it all the more remarkable that he has thus far escaped police attention.

Guilty: Mohammed Fahir Amaaz Convicted of Manchester Airport Police Assaults

Mohammed Fahir Amaaz has been found guilty of brutally assaulting police officers at Manchester Airport.

Amaaz, 20, of Tarnside Close, Rochdale, was convicted of the following offences, which were committed at the airport on Tuesday, 23rd July 2024:

• Assault by beating of Abdulkareem Hamzah Abbas Ismaeil (unanimous verdict).
• Assault occasioning actual bodily harm of PC Lydia Ward (unanimous verdict).
• Assault by beating of PC Ellie Cook, a constable who was acting in exercise of functions as an emergency worker (majority verdict).

The verdicts came after jurors had been deliberating for ten hours.

The jury was unable to reach a verdict in relation to Amaaz's alleged assault of PC Zachary Marsden.

Amaaz's brother, Muhammad Amaad, 26, was also accused of assault occasioning actual bodily harm on PC Zachary Marsden, but the jury was unable to reach a verdict on that matter either.

The maximum sentence for the most serious of these offences, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, is 5 years' custody.

Whenever there are multiple offences committed on the same occasion, convention is that any sentences are imposed concurrently. That being the case the maximum possible sentence available to the court is 5 years' custody in relation to the assault occasioning actual bodily harm; 2 years' custody in relation to the assault on an emergency worker (to run concurrently); 26 weeks' custody in relation to the assault by beating of Mr Ismaeil (to run concurrently). This would give a maximum possible overall sentence of 5 years' custody.

Amaaz will not be sentenced today, as a pre-sentence report will be required beforehand. The sentence imposed will be determined by consideration of the most serious offence, which is the actual bodily harm of PC Ward. Trial judge HHJ Neil Flewitt will then factor in the other offences, adjusting the overall sentence to reflect the totality of Amaaz's offending.

When sentencing the judge will apply the relevant sentencing guideline for assault occasioning actual bodily harm, which can be viewed here. It is likely the judge will view the offence as one of greater culpability (prolonged and persistent) and medium harm (PC Ward's broken nose, unpleasant as it undoubtedly was, would probably not be considered a serious physical injury).

That would give a sentencing starting point of 18 months' custody. The judge would then take into account aggravating and mitigating factors, adjusting the starting point sentence accordingly. Finally the judge would consider matters in the round and adjust the sentence to reflect totality. Having been convicted at trial, Amaaz will not be entitled to any credit. Given my interpretation of events, I think any overall sentence in excess of about 2 years' is pretty unlikely.

Of course sentencing is a matter entirely for HHJ Flewitt, who may well read things differently.

The CPS has said it will consider whether or not a retrial is appropriate in relation to the alleged assaults on PC Marsden.

Hung Jury: The Worst of Both Worlds

The jury is currently considering its verdict in the trial of two brothers accused of assaulting police officers at Manchester Airport on 23rd July 2024.

The jury, which now numbers only eleven, began its deliberations on the morning of Tuesday, 29th July 2025. Despite HHJ Neil Flewitt indicating he would now accept 10-1 majority verdicts in relation to each count, the jury was unable to reach its verdicts by the end of Tuesday.

So what happens if the jury simply cannot decide? Such an outcome is called a hung jury and it really is the worst of all worlds. The judge will be seeking to avoid a hung jury, which is why he will give a reasonable amount of time - possibly another couple of days - before deciding verdicts cannot be reached.

From the defendants' point of view a hung jury means they have neither been convicted nor acquitted of the allegations against them, so they are left dangling in an uncomfortable state of uncertainty.

From the Crown's point of view it would need to take stock of the situation and reevaluate the strength of its case. As jury deliberations are strictly confidential, the Crown would have no way of knowing which aspects of its case resonated most with the jury and which were rejected.

Prosecution only ever takes place if both the evidential and public interest tests are met. By definition this means the Crown must have considered conviction was more likely than not, so it would need to do a bit of soul searching. Was it a case that the Crown's case simply wasn't as strong as it thought it was? Or was it the case that the defence case was more persuasive than expected?

If, having taken time to reflect, the Crown decides its case was evidentially solid and in the public interest then it might decide to have a second attempt. The allegations relating to the police officers - ABH and assault on an emergency worker - are indictable, so could be considered afresh in a new trial. The assault by beating allegation in relation to Mr Ismaeil is summary, so would fall by the wayside.

Crown Court trials are a very expensive and labour intensive business, so the Crown would only seek a retrial if it thought it had its ducks in a row.

Jury Retires in Manchester Airport Police Assault Trial

After four weeks of evidence and legal wrangling the jury has finally retired to consider its verdict in the trial of two brothers accused of assaulting police officers at Manchester Airport.

The allegations arise from a widely publicised incident at the airport on Tuesday, 23rd July 2024.

Mohammed Fahir Amaaz, 20, and Muhammad Amaad, 26, of Tarnside Close, Rochdale, both deny the allegations against them, which are as follows:

• Amaaz:
• Two assaults occasioning actual bodily harm of PCs Zachary Marsden and Lydia Ward;
• Assault by beating of PC Ellie Cook, a constable who was acting in exercise of functions as an emergency worker;
• Assault by beating of Abdulkareem Hamzah Abbas Ismaeil.
• Amaad:
• Assault occasioning actual bodily harm of PC Zachary Marsden.

The maximum sentence for the most serious of these offences, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, is 5 years' custody.

The brothers do not dispute their presence or involvement in each of these allegations, but instead rely on the defence of self-defence.

Amaaz has told the jury that Mr Ismaeil became threatening and aggressive when he was asked to account for his behaviour during an inbound flight. Shameem Achtar, mother of Amaaz and Amaad, had travelled on the same flight, during which she said Mr Ismaeil had made abusive comments towards her.

Amaaz also said that he feared "being battered to death" by the three police officers - PCs Zachary Marsden, Lydia Ward and Ellie Cook - who later turned up to arrest him in relation to the incident with Mr Ismaeil.

Amaad has told the jury that he acted in defence of his brother, when the officers used what he perceived to be excessive force to effect their arrest of Amaaz.

Over the coming hours and days it will be the job of the jury to sort the wheat from the chaff. In my view there has been a heck of a lot of chaff, so it might take the jury a little while.

Hopefully we won't need to wait too long for a decision.