A female police officer sustained a broken nose requiring surgery after being punched during a violent arrest at Manchester Airport. The incident involved PC Lydia Ward and suspect Mohammed Fahir Amaaz.
The 21-year-old Mohammed Amaaz and his brother Muhammad Amaad, 26, are currently on trial at Liverpool Crown Court. They face charges of assaulting police officers and a member of the public in Terminal Two of the airport.
Mohammed Amaaz was previously convicted of assaulting an unarmed officer, PC Ward, who was punched with such force that her nose broke. He was also convicted of assaulting PC Ellie Cook and a member of the public inside a Starbucks branch at the airport.
The ongoing trial now focuses on allegations that both Amaaz brothers assaulted armed officer PC Zachary Marsden during the same incident.
The trouble began when the brothers arrived at the airport to pick up their mother, who had been involved in a dispute on a flight returning from Pakistan via Qatar. Police were called after Mohammed Amaaz assaulted a man in Starbucks following the flight incident.
Officers moved to arrest Mohammed Amaaz near the airport pay station, where the violence escalated.
PC Ward told jurors she attempted to handcuff Mohammed Amaaz, who resisted strongly. She described him “booting” PC Marsden with great force and said she was punched so hard she fell backwards and briefly lost consciousness.
The officer pressed her emergency button, fearing further assault. She also deployed PAVA spray after members of the public became hostile during the arrest.
Mohammed Amaaz denied the charges and claimed he acted in self-defence, fearing police brutality. He described tensing up when grabbed unexpectedly by officers, fearing he would be beaten severely.
He admitted resisting but said his actions were to protect his brother and to escape assault. His defence counsel emphasised that police did not inform him he was under arrest before the scuffle began.
PC Marsden sustained post-concussion syndrome, which includes symptoms such as headaches, dizziness, and memory difficulties.
The violent incident continues to be heard at Liverpool Crown Court, where the Amaaz brothers face multiple assault charges stemming from the chaotic episode at Manchester Airport.
Originally published by UKNIP.
