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At Liverpool Crown Court, a man charged with assaulting a firearms officer at Manchester Airport described his fear for his life during the incident. Mohammed Fahir Amaaz, 21, recounted to the jury how he felt he was “going to die” when a police officer pressed his head to the ground. The episode took place in July 2024 near a car park pay station at Terminal 2. Both Mohammed and his older brother, Muhammad Amaad, 26, are accused of applying a “high level of violence” against officers during this confrontation.
The situation escalated after police officers including PC Zachary Marsden, PC Lydia Ward, and PC Ellie Cook went to arrest Amaaz following allegations that he had headbutted a passenger in the arrivals hall. Prosecutors state that Amaaz resisted arrest, which led to his brother intervening, and together they both allegedly assaulted PC Marsden. The brothers, who come from Rochdale, have pleaded not guilty to charges of assault causing actual bodily harm.
During his testimony, Amaaz explained how he tensed up when a police officer grabbed his arm and pushed his face into a pay machine without any explanation. “I was just thinking ‘why is this guy using so much force?'” he told the court, describing how PC Marsden held his hand over his head and neck. Fearing for his safety, he said he thought he would become another victim of police brutality. When asked if the officer informed him why he was there, Amaaz replied, “No, nothing at all was said to me. I didn’t know what was going on.”
Amaaz also detailed his belief that his actions were in self-defense. He said he was unaware that the officers he struck were female due to the fast pace of events. He recounted reacting after feeling a punch to his throat, which left him gasping. He explained, “I turned towards my right and I struck out at the same time. I didn’t know where it was going. I felt like I needed to protect myself from this person.” Additionally, he described punching PC Marsden when he mistakenly thought the officer was aiming a gun at his brother, not realizing it was a Taser. Following this, PC Cook used her Taser on Amaaz, causing him to fall to the ground. He gave further testimony about PC Marsden kicking him in the face and stamping on his head, which led him to lose consciousness briefly before regaining awareness due to the force of the stamp
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