Manchester Airport Trial Ends: Brothers Acquitted of Assaulting Armed Officer as CPS Drops Case Following Two Deadlocked Juries

Mohammed Fahir Amaaz and his brother Muhammad Amaad have been formally acquitted of assaulting an armed police officer following the conclusion of the long-running Manchester Airport case, after prosecutors confirmed they would not seek a third trial.

Liverpool Crown Court heard that the Crown Prosecution Service had decided not to pursue a further retrial after two separate juries failed to reach verdicts on allegations that the brothers assaulted PC Zachary Marsden during a confrontation at Manchester Airport on July 23, 2024.

Judge Neil Flewitt KC directed that not guilty verdicts be entered against both defendants on the charge of assault occasioning actual bodily harm against PC Marsden after the prosecution offered no evidence.

The acquittal relates only to the allegation involving PC Zachary Marsden. Amaaz was previously convicted by a jury of assaulting a member of the public, Abdulkareem Ismaeil, assault occasioning actual bodily harm against PC Lydia Ward, and assaulting emergency worker PC Ellie Cook during the same sequence of events. He has remained in custody since those convictions and is due to be sentenced on June 26.

Read more: Manchester Airport Attack: 3 Guilty Verdicts, 2 Charges Unresolved

The decision follows a retrial which concluded on May 20, when jurors were unable to reach verdicts after almost 20 hours of deliberations despite being permitted to return majority decisions.

Paul Greaney KC, for the Crown, told the court the decision not to pursue a third trial had been taken at the “highest level” of the CPS. He said there was a clear legal presumption against a third retrial unless a case involved “exceptional circumstances” and was of “extreme gravity”.

Mr Greaney said: “While this is a serious case, it does not meet that test.”

The charge related to an incident in a Terminal 2 car park pay station which became the subject of widespread public attention after footage emerged showing PC Marsden kicking Amaaz while he was on the ground following his arrest.

Read more: Manchester Airport Attack Retrial - Day 25: Jury Deliberating

The brothers, both from Rochdale, consistently denied assaulting the officer and maintained throughout two trials that they had acted in self-defence.

Addressing Ammaz at Friday’s hearing regarding his convictions from the earlier trial, Judge Flewitt said: “As I’m sure you will have been advised, there will be an immediate prison sentence. How long that will be, I will decide when I have heard all the submissions by both counsel on that occasion.”

An ongoing investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct into the use of force by Greater Manchester Police officers during the incident remains unresolved. The watchdog has said its inquiries are at an advanced stage and that decisions on any further action will be made once the investigation is completed.