Two brothers accused of Manchester Airport assault on police officer will not face third trial
A Crown Prosecution Service spokesperson said a further retrial would be "highly exceptional" after two juries failed to reach a verdict
Two brothers accused of assaulting a police officer in Manchester Airport will not face a third trial after a jury failed to reach a verdict.
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Brothers Mohammed Fahir Amaaz and Muhammad Amaad faced allegations they assaulted Pc Zachary Marsden at Manchester Airport in July 2024, Liverpool Crown Court heard.
It comes after a second jury was discharged after failing to reach verdicts in the retrial of two brothers accused of assaulting a police officer at Manchester Airport following nearly 20 hours of deliberations.
A Crown Prosecution Service spokesperson said a further retrial would be "highly exceptional" after two juries failed to reach a verdict.
The brawl, which went viral on social media, took place on 28 July 2024.
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The two brothers were on trial after allegedly inflicting a “high level of violence”when they assaulted PC Zachary Marsden causing actual bodily harm at the car park pay station area of terminal two.
Both men denied the charge, telling Liverpool Crown Court they acted in self-defence or in defence of each other.
A Crown Prosecution Service spokesperson said: “Mohammed Fahir Amaaz carried out a violent series of assaults, first an unprovoked attack on a member of the public before turning his aggression on police officers who were responding to the incident.
“During that attack, two female officers were assaulted, with one left bleeding after suffering a broken nose. The officers were carrying out their duties to protect the public in a busy airport when they were assaulted.
“Following a trial, Amaaz was convicted by a jury of assault occasioning actual bodily harm in relation to PC Lydia Ward, assault on an emergency worker in relation to PC Ellie Cook, and assault by beating in relation to a member of the public.
“He will be sentenced for his violent actions in due course.
“The jury in the first trial was unable to reach a verdict on a further count relating to an assault on a third police officer. A retrial was held, but a second jury has also been unable to reach a verdict on that count.
“The law is clear that any further retrial in these circumstances would be highly exceptional. After careful consideration, we have concluded that it is not in the public interest to seek another trial.”
Last July, Amaaz was found guilty of assaulting Pc Lydia Ward and PC Ellie Cook during the same incident.
A retrial was ordered last year after no verdict was reached against him or his brother on the Pc Marsden allegation.
The three Greater Manchester Police officers entered the Terminal 2 car park paystation 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.
But the brothers, from Rochdale, Greater Manchester, said their actions were defensive rather than offensive as they said they came “under attack”.
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.
Amaaz claimed he did not realise Pc Ward and Pc Cook were women as “it was happening so fast, I couldn’t process the little details”.
He was also convicted at the previous trial of assaulting the member of the public, Abdulkareem Ismaeil, in Starbucks.