Two brothers from Rochdale have been cleared of assaulting an armed police officer at Manchester Airport after prosecutors confirmed they would not pursue a third trial.
Mohammed Fahir Amaaz, 21, and Muhammad Amaad, 26, had been accused of assaulting PC Zachary Marsden and causing him actual bodily harm during an incident on July 23, 2024.
Both denied the charge at Liverpool Crown Court, saying they acted in self-defence or in defence of each other.
Judge Neil Flewitt KC ordered not guilty verdicts to be recorded after prosecutors offered no evidence following two failed jury deliberations.
CPS says third trial not justified
The second jury failed to reach verdicts after deliberating for around 19 hours and 48 minutes, even after being told they could return majority verdicts.
Prosecutor Paul Greaney KC said the decision not to seek another trial had been taken at the “highest level” of the Crown Prosecution Service.
He said there was a clear presumption against a third trial unless there were exceptional circumstances and the case was of “extreme gravity.”
“The Crown’s assessment is that while the count on the indictment is serious and the case has attracted significant public interest, it cannot be properly described as one of extreme gravity,” he told the court.
Viral airport footage sparked protests
The case attracted national attention after mobile phone footage showed Amaaz being kicked in the head and apparently stamped on by an armed police officer while on the ground.
The video, filmed shortly after the confrontation, went viral online and prompted protests, allegations of police brutality and claims of racial discrimination.
The Manchester Evening News later published further CCTV footage that appeared to show police officers coming under attack moments before the kick.
Incident began after flight from Pakistan
The confrontation happened at a car park pay station at Terminal 2 after the brothers picked up their mother, Shameem Akhtar, 56, from a Qatar Airways flight from Pakistan.
The first trial heard that police were called after Amaaz headbutted a man inside Starbucks. Amaaz claimed the man had racially abused his mother on the aircraft.
Amaaz was convicted at last year’s first trial of assaulting a member of the public and two police officers during the same incident. He was found guilty of headbutting a man in Terminal 2 before police moved to detain him and his brother in the car park pay station.
Amaaz was also convicted of attacking armed officer PC Ellie Cook and unarmed officer PC Lydia Ward, who was seen on body-cam footage bleeding heavily and sobbing after being punched in the face.
Sentencing due in June
Amaaz has remained in custody since the conclusion of the first trial and appeared by video link from prison. He will be sentenced on June 26.
Judge Flewitt told him there would be an immediate prison sentence, adding that the length would be decided after submissions from both counsel.
Amaad walks free
Muhammad Amaad, who faced only the single allegation relating to PC Marsden, walked free from court. He hugged supporters outside the courtroom after the hearing concluded.
His lawyer, Chloe Gardner, said he had faced both “trial by court” and “by social media” and had been unable to work. She applied for a defendant costs order to cover expenses he incurred while facing trial.
CCTV played to jurors in both trials showed Amaaz throwing 10 punches, two elbow strikes and one kick. His brother Amaad was shown throwing six punches.
The brothers maintained they were acting lawfully in self-defence.
The footage also showed PC Marsden kicking Amaaz in the face while he was on the ground after he had been Tasered, before appearing to aim a stamp at his head.
PC Marsden still faces possible criminal charges or disciplinary action, it can now be reported. He denied defence suggestions that he used unlawful force or was part of an “out of control” team of officers.
The short-sighted officer, whose glasses were knocked off during the incident, told jurors he feared his Glock 17 semi-automatic pistol could be taken and said he acted with “the utmost professionalism and bravery.”
Prosecutor defended context of officer’s actions
Mr Greaney KC told the first trial that the kick to the face looked shocking “in the cold light of day.”
However, he argued the actions had to be judged in the context of what prosecutors described as a serious threat to an armed officer concerned that his firearm might be taken from him at an airport.
An Independent Office for Police Conduct investigation into the use of force by Greater Manchester Police officers during the arrests remains ongoing.
At the first trial, jurors were told that the IOPC investigation into PC Marsden related to allegations of professional misconduct toward the defendants and members of the public.
The investigation also includes a criminal element.
CPS previously declined police prosecution
On December 20, 2024, the Crown Prosecution Service publicly announced that PC Marsden would not be prosecuted for any criminal offence arising from the Manchester Airport incident.
However, until the IOPC investigation is formally closed, it remains an open criminal investigation.
When the probe concludes, a decision will be made on whether to refer the matter back to the CPS if the IOPC decision-maker believes there is sufficient new evidence.
The IOPC said this week that its independent investigation is at an advanced stage. It added that new evidence gathered as part of a separate investigation came to its attention in October 2025, creating additional lines of inquiry.
Investigators are now working through several strands of material before deciding the next steps, and the watchdog said it would keep relevant parties updated as it works to conclude the matter as swiftly as possible.
Farage comments referred to attorney general
It later emerged that before the retrial, Judge Flewitt had referred comments made by Nigel Farage to Attorney General Richard Hermer as “potentially a contempt of court.”
Farage had criticised the initial verdict during a June 21 press conference, saying there was a “reluctance to prosecute those violent thugs in Manchester airport.”
Judge Flewitt wrote that the comment potentially implied the guilt of the defendants, although he later ruled it would not affect the fairness of the trial. The Attorney General’s Office confirmed that no contempt proceedings were issued.
The court also previously heard that the brothers had an elder brother who served with Greater Manchester Police. They were also said to have five cousins connected to the force.
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