Two men whose alleged roles in a brawl at Manchester Airport became widely known after footage spread across social media will not face a second retrial on one charge, a UK court ruled Friday.
Muhammad Amaad, 26, and Mohammed Fahir Amaaz, 21, had been accused of assaulting Greater Manchester Police constable Zachary Marsden near the car park area of terminal two on July 23, 2024. Two separate juries at Liverpool Crown Court failed to reach verdicts on that charge. The Crown Prosecution Service said it would not seek a third trial.
Prosecutor Paul Greaney KC told the court that the law carried a "presumption and expectation" of no third trials except in "exceptional circumstances." He said the matter had been considered at the "highest level" and that while the charge was serious and had drawn significant public interest, it could not "be properly described as one of extreme gravity." Judge Neil Flewitt KC directed that verdicts of not guilty be recorded against both men.
Both had denied the charge, saying they acted in lawful self-defense or in defense of the other. The disturbance began after police approached the two brothers following an earlier incident at a coffee shop, the court heard. A large brawl followed, captured on video that circulated widely online.
Amaaz had already been convicted separately of assaulting two female officers, PC Lydia Ward and PC Ellie Cook, and a Starbucks customer during the same incident. He is set to be sentenced on June 26.
An investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct into the use of force by Greater Manchester Police officers remains ongoing. The IOPC said the investigation was at an "advanced stage," and that new evidence had come to light in October 2025, opening additional lines of inquiry.
Greater Manchester Police Chief Constable Sir Stephen Watson said the force respected the court's findings. "Whilst disappointed that the prosecution case was not fully endorsed, we respect the findings of the court and accept the outcome of the jury's thoughtful deliberations," Watson said. He added that the force would continue to cooperate fully with the IOPC investigation.
