No second retrial for men accused of airport brawl

Two men accused of assaulting a police officer at Manchester Airport during a brawl captured in footage shared across social media will not face a second retrial.

The Crown Prosecution Service said it would not be ordering a further hearing for Muhammad Amaad, 26, and Mohammed Fahir Amaaz, 21, after two previous juries failed to reach verdicts at Liverpool Crown Court.

The pair had denied assaulting Greater Manchester Police constable Zachary Marsden near the car park area of Terminal 2 on 23 July 2024.

Amaaz was previously convicted of assaulting two female officers, PC Lydia Ward and PC Ellie Cook, and a Starbucks customer during the same alleged incident. He will be sentenced on 26 June.

Amaaz appeared via videolink from custody while Amaad sat with his lawyers in the court as prosecutor Paul Greaney KC outlined the reasoning for not applying for a second retrial.

He said the law was clear in that there would be a "presumption and expectation" that there are no third trials save for "exceptional circumstances".

Judge Neil Flewitt KC directed that verdicts of not guilty be recorded against the two defendants.

Greaney said: "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 said the matter had been considered at the "highest level".

Last week, a second jury was discharged after deliberating for nearly 20 hours following a five-week trial.

The jurors had been advised they could reach a majority verdict but were discharged after failing to do so.

The court had heard the disturbance began after police approached the two brothers following an earlier incident at a coffee shop.

Widely shared mobile phone footage of the incident sparked protests as it showed a young Asian male kicked in the face on the floor by a male police officer who then appeared to stamp towards his head.

Days later a CCTV clip leaked to the media revealed that beforehand several punches were thrown towards the male firearms officer and his two female colleagues.

The three Greater Manchester Police officers entered the Terminal 2 car park paystation area after reports that a male fitting Amaaz's description had headbutted a member of the public at a Starbucks cafe in the airport minutes earlier.

The prosecution said Amaaz resisted their attempts to take him outside and Amaad then intervened as both allegedly used a "high level of violence".

Amaaz said he feared for his life as he said Pc Marsden pushed his head towards the ground with a hand over his neck.

He said he then hit out after he saw his brother "getting smashed in the face".

Amaad told the jury he tried to "de-escalate the situation" and struck Pc Marsden when he felt Amaaz could not defend himself.

He said he then "came under attack as he was pushed and pulled from all directions".

PC Ward suffered a broken nose as she was floored by a punch to the face from Amaaz who also knocked PC Cook to the ground with a series of elbows and punches.

At the second trial Amaaz maintained he had acted lawfully and said he did not realise Pc Ward and Pc Cook were women as "it was happening so fast I couldn't process the little details".

After Amaaz was felled to the ground by a Taser strike he was kicked in the face on the ground by PC Marsden, the court heard.

Amaaz denied he was trying to get up at the time and then described a stamp "pushing me downwards towards the floor".

PC Marsden said he stamped his foot in a bid to clamp down on the wire of his police radio to avoid it being used as a weapon against him and did not believe he made contact with Amaaz.

Both men denied the charges against them and said they had acted in lawful self-defence, or in defence of the other.

An investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) remains ongoing into the use of force by Greater Manchester Police officers.

Chief Constable Sir Stephen Watson said: "Whilst disappointed that the prosecution case was not fully endorsed, we respect the findings of the court and accept the outcome of the jury's thoughtful deliberations.

"We are cognisant of the ongoing IOPC investigation into the conduct of our officers.

"It is vital that officers get the respect and support they deserve for routinely putting themselves in harm's way to protect the public.

"We will continue to cooperate fully with this investigation, and we look forward to its conclusion in due course."

The IOPC said their investigation was at an "advanced stage".

"New evidence came to our attention in October 2025 and, there are now additional lines of inquiry for us to explore before we can finalise our decisions," a spokesman said.

"IOPC investigators are now working through various strands of investigative material before any decisions are made on the next steps.

"We will continue to keep the relevant parties updated as we work to conclude matters as swiftly as possible."

Following the hearing, a lawyer representing both Amaad and Amaaz said the brothers "have not just faced trial twice but they have faced trial by social media".

"Their lives have been wrecked," he said, before referencing the ongoing investigation regarding the police.

"This is not over," he added.

Amaaz has been in custody for the last 10 months, after being convicted of three assaults connected to the alleged incident.

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