Two brothers from Rochdale have been charged with assaulting police officers following a fight that took place at Manchester Airport. Mohammed Amaaz, 20, and Muhammed Amaad, 25, are due to appear at Liverpool Magistrates’ Court on 16 January. The Crown Prosecution Service has said that no charges will be brought against any of the police officers involved in the incident, which saw an officer filmed stamping on a suspect’s head.
The altercation, which took place on 23 July, was caught on CCTV. Footage obtained by the Manchester Evening News showed that there was a lead-up to the incident, with three Greater Manchester Police officers restraining a man at a car park ticketing machine. After a fight broke out, one officer tasered a man and another stamped on his head. A number of bystanders filmed the incident, with one officer appearing to pepper-spray the group.
Two police officers are still under investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) watchdog following an inquiry by GMP. Stephen Watson, Chief Constable of the force, had previously suspended one officer, although this has since been lifted. The CPS has now examined evidence, reviewed “expert opinion”, and taken police training into account. It said that two men should be charged with offences including assaults on police officers. Mr Amaaz has been charged with two offences of causing actual bodily harm, one charge of assaulting an emergency worker and one charge of common assault. Mr Amaad has been charged with assaulting an emergency worker causing actual bodily harm.
The IOPC is nearing completion of its investigation into the incident. A spokesman for the watchdog stated that the final part of evidence had been shared with the CPS on Monday. “We will now work to conclude the few remaining lines of inquiry as quickly as possible,” the spokesman said. “At that point, we will decide whether anyone serving with GMP should face disciplinary proceedings, and we will reach a decision on a series of complaints raised by six members of the public in relation to the incident.”
The CPS’s Frank Ferguson noted that this was a “high-profile incident that attracted significant public interest.” Following the examination of evidence – which included witness statements and video footage – he said that the CPS had “concluded that two men should be charged with offences including assaults on police officers.
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