No Retrial for Two Men Accused in Viral Manchester Airport Brawl
A dramatic legal chapter surrounding the highly publicised Manchester Airport incident has now come to an end, as two men accused of assaulting a police officer during a violent airport brawl will not face a third trial.
Muhammad Amaad, 26 and Mohammed Fahir Amaaz, 21, had both denied assaulting Greater Manchester Police officer PC Zachary Marsden during the chaotic incident at Terminal 2 of Manchester Airport on 23 July 2024 footage of which spread rapidly across social media and sparked fierce public debate across Britain.
After two separate juries at Liverpool Crown Court failed to reach a verdict, the Crown Prosecution Service confirmed it would not pursue a second retrial against the brothers.
Prosecutor Paul Greaney KC told the court that British law carries a clear expectation against third trials unless there are “exceptional circumstances”. He said that while the case had attracted major public attention, it could not be classified as one of “extreme gravity”.
Judge Neil Flewitt KC subsequently directed that not guilty verdicts be formally recorded against both defendants on the charge relating to PC Marsden.
However, the wider case remains controversial. Mohammed Fahir Amaaz had previously been convicted of assaulting two female police officers PC Lydia Ward and PC Ellie Cook as well as a Starbucks customer during the same disturbance. He is due to be sentenced on 26 June.
The court previously heard that the confrontation erupted after officers approached the brothers following an earlier incident inside an airport coffee shop. Video footage later shown to jurors captured scenes of a large scale struggle involving police and members of the public.
Throughout the proceedings, both men maintained that they acted in lawful self defence or in defence of one another.
The case has fuelled wider conversations around policing, use of force, public trust and the power of viral social media footage in shaping public opinion long before verdicts are reached in court.
