Two brothers who were accused of assaulting a police officer at Manchester Airport during a brawl that went viral on social media will not face a third trial after prosecutors offered no evidence.
The decision was made after two separate juries at Liverpool Crown Court could not reach verdicts on allegations that Mohammed Fahir Amaaz, 21, and Muhammad Amaad, 26, assaulted Pc Zachary Marsden in July 2024, causing him actual bodily harm.
Both men, from Rochdale, Greater Manchester, denied the charge and said they acted in lawful self-defence, or in defence of the other.
Last week, the second jury was discharged after they deliberated for nearly 20 hours following a five-week trial.
On Friday, Judge Neil Flewitt KC directed that verdicts of not guilty be recorded against the two defendants.
Amaaz appeared via videolink from prison and Amaad sat with his lawyers in court as prosecutor Paul Greaney KC outlined the Crown’s reasoning for not applying for a second retrial of the case.
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”.
Mr 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” of the Crown Prosecution Service.
Amaaz was remanded in custody last year after he was convicted at the first trial of the assault of Pc Lydia Ward and Pc Ellie Cook during the same incident on 23 July.
He will be sentenced on 26 June.
Amaad, who faced the single allegation, walked free from court.
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 a number of 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 Crown 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 from PC Cook 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.
In December 2024 the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) announced no police officer would face charges over the incident, which led to GMP lifting the suspension of Pc Marsden from all duties.
A probe into the actions of Pc Marsden and other GMP officers by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) remains ongoing.
Amaaz was also convicted at the previous trial of assaulting member of the public Abdulkareem Ismaeil in Starbucks.
The court heard that both defendants had an elder brother who served with Greater Manchester Police, along with five cousins.
Speaking outside court, the brothers’ solicitor Aamer Anwar said: “Armed officers are supposed to be highly trained professionals with the power of life and death, but provocation or the loss of control should be no defence in law.
“At the start of this case, we provided information on the conduct of several officers including Pc Marsden to the IOPC and asked for them to be referred to the CPS for criminal prosecution.
“Carrying a gun or taser does not give them a licence to kill or use excessive violence, nor escape accountability whatever the circumstances, background, colour or religion of the accused.
“Both Fahir Amaaz, now in custody for 10 months, and Muhammad Amaad have not just faced trial twice but trial by social media. Their lives have been wrecked.
“Two years on it is not over and the rule of law must also apply to those officers who broke the law or breached professional standards.
“They should face action from the CPS and GMP.”
In a statement, GMP chief constable Sir Stephen Watson said: “Following a protracted trial, the jury have been unable to deliver a verdict.
“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.
“This incident began after a man was headbutted in a public place in front of his family.
“Our officers were responding quickly to precisely the sort of outrageous criminal behaviour that rightly offends the public.
“In undertaking their duties, officers were met with resistance and violence; followed by online vilification, condemnation and adverse commentary from those who did not have the full facts.
“It is vital that officers get the respect and support they deserve for routinely putting themselves in harm’s way to protect the public.
“Whilst the criminal trial is now concluded, we are cognisant of the ongoing IOPC investigation into the conduct of our officers.
“We will continue to cooperate fully with this investigation, and we look forward to its conclusion in due course.”
He added he was “particularly grateful to those many members of the public” who had contacted for the force to pass on their best wishes to the officers affected.”
An IOPC spokesman said: “An IOPC spokesperson said: “Our independent investigation into the use of force by Greater Manchester Police (GMP) officers during a series of arrests at Manchester Airport in July 2024 is at an advanced stage.
“New evidence, gathered as part of a separate investigation, came to our attention in October 2025 and as a result, there are now additional lines of inquiry for us to explore before we can finalise our decisions.
“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.”
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