Student Accused of Lying Over Police Assault in Airport Fracas, Court Told

A student accused of breaking a police officer’s nose during a chaotic confrontation at Manchester Airport was accused of telling a “bare-faced lie” in court when he claimed not to realise his victim was a woman. Mohammed Fahir Amaaz, 20, is alleged to have fabricated a self-defence claim to justify his attack on PC Lydia Ward and her colleagues, PC Ellie Cook and PC Zachary Marsden.

Prosecutor Paul Greaney KC told jurors at Liverpool Crown Court that Amaaz’s explanations were “plainly false” and that “his claim not to know Ms Ward and Ms Cook were women cannot exist in the real world we inhabit.” Greaney asserted that Amaaz acted out of “anger and revenge” when he assaulted a man, Abdulkareem Ismaeil, at a Starbucks café before the violent clash with police in Terminal 2’s car park on 23 July 2024.

The prosecution argued that:

1.Amaaz’s claim of being threatened was “an attempt to conceal the truth” behind the Starbucks altercation, which followed an alleged insult to his mother on a flight from Pakistan.

2.There was “simply no justification” for the level of violence used against the officers, particularly the punch that left PC Ward bloodied and terrified on the ground.

3.The police officers involved were “doing their duty” and remained professional, despite defence claims they were “out of control” and used excessive force.

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Amaaz and his elder brother, Muhammad Amaad, 26, both from Rochdale, deny all charges, including:

1.Assault causing actual bodily harm to PC Marsden and PC Ward (Amaaz)

2.Assault of PC Cook (Amaaz)

3.Assault of Abdulkareem Ismaeil at Starbucks (Amaaz)

4.Assault causing actual bodily harm to PC Marsden (Amaad)

The prosecution acknowledged that PC Marsden was seen kicking and stamping on Amaaz’s head in the widely shared incident footage, but argued this detail was a “distraction” from the main question: whether the brothers’ use of force was self-defensive or offensive.

Defence and Judicial Directions

The defence has claimed both men acted lawfully in self-defence and in defence of each other, fearing for their safety during the officers’ intervention — a view supported by Amaaz’s own court testimony about fearing he “would be battered to death” by police. The judge, Neil Flewitt, instructed jurors to disregard emotive and inaccurate social media coverage, emphasising an “objective and dispassionate appraisal of all the evidence” and reminding them that reasonable force in self-defence is permissible under the law if genuinely believed necessary, even “in the heat of the moment when fine judgements are difficult”.

Testimony from PC Lydia Ward described being “absolutely terrified” as she was punched to the ground during the attempt to detain Amaaz, recalling blood pouring from her nose and a deep sense of shock at the sudden turn of events.

What Happens Next?

The trial, which has drawn national attention due to footage of the incident circulating online and protests in the Greater Manchester area, continues. Both defendants remain on trial for all charges as the jury considers the complex and conflicting accounts presented in court.

The trial is scheduled to last up to four weeks, with verdicts pending as evidence is reviewed.Both Amaaz and Amaad remain in custody and deny all allegations against them.This report was prepared with additional details from court proceedings and police testimony, reflecting updated coverage as of July 24, 2025.