A man caught on CCTV being kicked in the face by an armed policeman at Manchester Airport accepted today that it could not 'justify' his violence towards officers moments earlier. But Mohammed Fahir Amaaz denied knowing that two officers he punched in the face were female, telling a jury he had 'nothing but love and respect for women'.
Court Proceedings
Under cross-examination, the 21-year-old insisted he still believed that the armed officer, PC Zachary Marsden, had been trying to 'murder' him and his brother. Amaaz was Tasered while grappling with PC Marsden and two female colleagues who were trying to arrest him at a pay station for headbutting a passenger in July 2024.
Footage shows PC Marsden – who had allegedly been repeatedly punched in the head by Amaaz's elder brother – kicking the student in the head before aiming a stamp close by. Amaaz was last year convicted of assaulting the passenger and the female officers, a jury has been told.
Brothers on Trial
He and his brother Muhammad Amaad, 26, are now on trial accused of causing actual bodily harm to PC Marsden. Footage played to the jury allegedly shows how Amaad began punching PC Marsden when he grabbed his younger brother by the arm, before Amaaz punched PCs Lydia Ward – who suffered a broken nose – and Ellie Cook in the face.
As PC Marsden fires his 50,000 volt Taser at Amaad, he is allegedly punched from behind by the younger brother. Amaaz can then be seen falling to the floor after being Tasered by PC Cook, while PC Marsden kicks him in the face before he is handcuffed. The brothers say they were both acting in self-defence.
Cross-Examination
Cross-examining him today, prosecutor Paul Greaney KC put it to Amaaz that none of the violence he used towards officers could have been a 'reaction' to the subsequent kick by PC Marsden. 'No, but the kick to my face just shows he was out of control from the very start to the very end,' replied the defendant, dressed in a dark suit and tie.
Mr Greaney put it to him: 'You can't justify your kick, your punches, your elbows by reference to the fact you were kicked in the face, or a stamp, because that all occurred afterwards.' 'Yes I agree,' Amaaz replied.
Questioned as to whether he knew at the time that PCs Ward and Cook were female, Amaaz insisted he did not. Showing the court images of him breaking PC Ward's nose, Mr Greaney asked: 'Is it your position that you didn't realise you were punching in the face a slightly built woman with long, red, curly hair?' Amaaz replied: 'Yes – it's all happening in a matter of seconds.'
Asked by the prosecutor whether he was 'telling a bare-faced lie', Amaaz replied: 'That's wrong.' Questioned on whether he agreed it was 'completely unacceptable' for a grown man to use unlawful violence against a woman, Amaaz answered: 'I've got nothing against women. I've been raised by women all my life. I've got nothing but love and respect for women. I believe it was PC Marsden's poor decision-making that put these officers at risk.'
Defence and Beliefs
Amaaz told the jury he accepts using violence towards the passenger and the three officers, but insisted it was lawful on each occasion. He continues to maintain his innocence despite being convicted of assaulting PCs Ward and Cook as well as holidaymaker Abdulkareem Ismaeil.
'Does it remain your position that you believe PC Marsden intended to murder you and your brother?' Mr Greaney asked. 'Yes,' Amaaz replied. 'Have you ever thought that it seems unlikely that a police officer intended to murder you in public?' asked the prosecutor. Amaaz answered: 'It has happened before, where police officers have murdered people in public. From my position, that's what it felt like.'
Earlier today Amaaz was asked by his barrister, Imran Khan KC, why he acted the way he did that evening. 'The whole time it just felt that me and my brother were being attacked,' Amaaz replied. 'We were just doing everything we could. It felt like we were fighting for our lives.'
Amaaz and Amaad, both from Rochdale, Greater Manchester, deny assaulting PC Marsden causing him actual bodily harm. The trial continues.
