An armed police officer accused of kicking a suspect in the head during a violent confrontation at Manchester Airport was branded “an uncontrolled bully with a badge” by a defence lawyer in a dramatic courtroom exchange.
The allegation came during the trial of brothers Mohammed Fahir Amaaz, 20, and Muhammed Amaad, 26, who stand accused of assaulting three officers, including armed response officer PC Zachary Marsden, during an incident last July. The clash unfolded near a pay station in Terminal Two after police attempted to arrest Amaaz in connection with an earlier alleged assault at a Starbucks café.
CCTV Footage at the Heart of the Case
The jury at Liverpool Crown Court has been shown repeated CCTV and mobile phone clips capturing moments of chaos, including footage of PC Marsden kicking Amaaz in the head and stamping on him. Prosecutors argue the brothers launched an unprovoked attack, while the defence claims their actions were driven by fear of Marsden’s behaviour.
Chloe Gardner, representing Amaad, told jurors the footage was “like a jigsaw puzzle without sound,” arguing that vital context was missing: “You can see what happens, but you can’t hear the fear, the shouting, the panic,” she said.
Gardner likened watching the silent footage to seeing “a TV crime drama with the sound turned off – you get the gist but not the full picture.”
She described Marsden as a “red mist” officer who stormed into the scene, failed to announce he was police, and grabbed Amaaz aggressively. “Imagine if grabbing someone without identifying yourself became standard police practice,” she said. “PC Marsden threw away the rule book long ago. His way was the only way.”
‘He Could Have Killed Him’
The court heard claims that Marsden struck Amaaz’s mother with his Taser during the scuffle and allegedly kept assaulting Amaad even as he placed his hands on his head. Gardner said: “He smashed Amaad’s face into the ground, placed his knee on his neck, and kicked Amaaz in the head. He could have killed him.”
The defence insists the brothers were trying to protect themselves, with witnesses recalling them shouting, “Easy, easy, no, no, no,” in an attempt to calm the situation.
Prosecution: No Excuse for Violence Against Police
Prosecutor Paul Greaney KC dismissed the self-defence claims, urging jurors to “trust your eyes and ears.” He argued that Amaaz’s attack on PCs Lydia Ward and Ellie Cook – including breaking Ward’s nose – was deliberate and unjustified. “There is simply no world where punching and elbowing two female officers can be excused,” he said.
Judge Warns Jury Over Emotions
Judge Neil Flewitt KC instructed jurors to ignore emotional or inaccurate social media coverage of the trial, stressing: “You may feel sympathy, upset or anger. Emotions must play no part in your deliberations. You need an objective and dispassionate appraisal of all the evidence.”
The judge said the brothers were entitled to use reasonable force in self-defence if they believed they were under attack, even in the heat of the moment.
The Verdict Still to Come
Amaaz denies four charges of assault, including on an emergency worker, while Amaad faces one count of assault causing actual bodily harm. Both brothers, from Rochdale, claim they were acting lawfully to protect themselves.
The jury will begin deliberations after closing summations, with a verdict expected next week.
