A TOP Scottish lawyer who is representing the family involved in an incident at Manchester Airport has called for the complete CCTV footage to be released and that a formal complaint will be made.
Aamer Anwar has asked on what legal basis the Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, was shown the complete CCTV of the clash between several people and the police.
Fahir Amaaz and Muhammad Amaad were involved in an incident with police officers at Manchester Airport on July 23 which went viral on social media.
Mobile footage, which was widely shared online, appeared to show an armed police officer stamping on the head of a man detained on the ground.
There have been calls by the family since for the full CCTV and body camera footage from the officers to be released for better transparency of what happened.
Anwar said any attempt to identify why Burnham has been privy to the footage has been met with “false narratives” or “partial context” by police sources.
The Scottish solicitor has called for all the full footage to be released because leaked videos online do not show exactly what the police did and how the incident unfolded.
He added that the police have been deeply unhelpful in the Independent Office for Police Conduct’s (IOPC) investigation into the incident and that a formal complaint will now be lodged against Greater Manchester Police.
Anwar (below) said: “I have now spoken to the IOPC with regards to lodging a formal complaint against officers from Greater Manchester Police. As stated previously we expect all CCTV and police bodycam footage to be retained.”
He added: “The family and their legal representatives should have been provided with an opportunity to view footage before any politician.
“As for leaking of CCTV, we understand that will also form part of their investigation, but whilst it may be blatantly obvious who would benefit from such a cynical and partial leak, proving who the individual or ‘institution’ is likely to be impossible.”
The statement goes on to say: “One would assume at a high security airport, access to CCTV would be extremely secure and there would be an audit trail of every police officer or civilian with access to the material.
“We would also expect there to be cameras in the CCTV control room and expect all material relating to the incident and cameras of the aftermath to be retained, especially those where the detainees were taken to in other areas of the airport.
“There can never be any legal justification for the use of excessive, disproportionate and potentially lethal force against a civilian who is incapacitated and poses no threat. Provocation or the loss of control is no defence in law.
“The family have asked me to repeatedly place on record that if their family members were engaged in criminality then they must be subjected to due process.”
The family involved in the incident will attend a press conference along with Anwar on August 6.
They are expected to issue a full statement and provide further evidence and context.
