CCTV footage of the alleged assault of three police officers at Manchester Airport has been played to jurors in court. Video / PA Media - News via Video Elephant
Jurors in court have been shown CCTV footage showing the moment a police officer had his nose broken during an alleged assault at Manchester Airport in July 2024.
The footage was shown during the trial of two brothers allegedly attacking three police officers.
Mohammed Fahir Amaaz, 20, and Muhammad Amaad,26, are accused of having assaulted the officers after the agents were called to respond to an incident at the Starbucks cafe in Terminal 2 of Manchester Airport. Amaaz is allegedly to have headbutted a customer at the cafe, leading to the police being called.
The court has heard about how, minutes later, PC Zachary Marsden and PC Ellie Cook, who were both armed, and unarmed PC Lydia Ward confronted the two brothers at the terminal carpark.
CCTV footage of the alleged assault of three police officers at Manchester Airport has been played to jurors in court.
According to the prosecution, Amaaz resisted as the officers tried to move him away from the payment machine so they could arrest him. Amaad is then said to have intervened.
PC Ward suffered a broken nose, during what the prosecution described as an incident with “a high level of violence”.
Amaaz can be seen in the footage throwing punches at PC Cook and PC Ward, hitting her on the nose, before he was tasered.
Footage played in court also showed PC Marsden aiming a kick to Amaaz’s head.
In the witness box, PC Marsden said that he has been assaulted multiple times while on duty but added: “I can confidently say these are the hardest I’ve ever felt in my life.”
Amaaz (in blue) is said to have thrown 10 punches at the police officers.
Prosecution described to jurors how the footage shows Amaaz throwing a series of punches at PC Marsden, who then falls to the ground.
PC Cook is then seen firing her Taser at Amaaz, who also falls to the ground.
Marsden got to his feet seconds later and kicked Amaaz’s head.
The CCTV footage also shows the brothers’ mother leaning over Amaaz as PC Marsden pushes her head with his Taser, then pointing it at Amaad.
PC Marsden told the court during evidence that he felt forced to take that course of action due to the “crowd dynamic” around the area as well as the fact he had no radio reception in the carpark.
Marsden described how the situation escalated from the moment he confronted Amaaz by the pay station.
Asked about the crowd that had gathered around the scene, PC Marsden told the court he felt the onlookers were “hostile” and did not want police there. He said no one tried to help and, instead, they all watched and recorded it on their phones.
The court has also heard that the brothers had gone to the airport that day with a young nephew to pick up their mother who was arriving on a flight from Qatar. An incident between the mother and another passenger led is said to have sparked the confrontation at the Starbucks cafe in the terminal.
Jurors were also shown security footage from the incident at Starbucks, recorded prior to the police confrontation.
