Cop left bloodied in Manchester Airport brawl slams yob who ‘played victim while using her as punch bag’ – as he’s caged
A COP left with a bloody nose in a brawl at Manchester Airport today slammed the yob who played the victim while treating her as a “punchbag”.
Mohammed Fahir Amaaz, 20, sparked nationwide protests after accusing police of attacking him during the scuffle.
But he had actually lashed out at officers, who were called to arrest him after Amaaz headbutted passenger Abdulkareem Ismaeil in a Starbucks and punched him.
Amaaz displayed a “high level of violence” against PC Ellie Cook and PC Lydia Ward, who had approached him in the car park of Terminal 2.
He was previously convicted of assaulting PC Ward and PC Cook, as well as assaulting Abdulkareem in the Starbucks.
But Amaaz and his brother Muhammad Amaad were cleared of causing a third officer – PC Zachary Marsden – assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
One of his victims, PC Ward, today blasted “coward” Amaaz as he was jailed for three-and-a-half years.
She said the thug “allowed the public to feel sorry for you” by playing the victim and told Amaaz: “You changed my face.”
PC Ward added: “I want you to know I am not weak.
“No matter how this has affected me or impacted on my life I will not allow you to see me as weak.
“You used me as a punch bag, but I will get back up and I will show you how strong I am.”
Footage showed Amaaz resisting arrest as the officers tried to move him away from a payment machine to cuff him.
He threw ten punches – including one to PC Ward’s face that sent her crashing to the ground with blood pouring from her nose.
Amaaz also twice struck firearms officer PC Cook with his elbow.
Both Amaaz and PC Marsden then fell to the ground before the officer got up and appeared to “stamp” his foot towards Amaaz’s head, Liverpool Crown Court heard.
As the brawl continued, the police officers got their Tasers out before managing to handcuff the brothers with the help of other cops.
At one point, PC Ward could be seen appearing to cry as she holds her nose.
Jurors heard PC Marsden suffered “post-concussion syndrome” and was left with a “severe headache” for three days, dizziness, forgetfulness and bruising and swelling.
PC Ward was left with a broken nose and needed surgery under general anaesthetic, it was said.
The court heard previously that the brothers had gone to meet their mum at the airport on July 23 last year.
She had been involved in some sort of incident with Abdulkareem either on their flight or shortly after it.
As the brothers passed by Starbucks, the mum pointed out Abdulkareem to her sons as he sat with his wife and children in the cafe.
Amaaz entered the cafe and headbutted the dad before punching him a number of times.Protests were held across Rochdale and Manchester after the footage emerged in July 2024.
The brothers later said they were threatened by an officer and thrown to the ground.
Their claims saw Greater Manchester Police plunged into crisis as video showed PC Marsden allegedly kicking Amaaz.
Two of the officers were probed by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) and faced criminal charges following the brawl.
The brothers initially hired TikTok solicitor Akhmed Yakoob to represent them but he quit when new footage was released revealing the cops had been attacked.
Amaaz kept up his narrative of being the victim during the trial – claiming he acted in self-defence and did not realise his “attackers” were female.
Chief Constable Sir Stephen Watson QPM said: “This incident began after a man was headbutted in a public place in front of his family. Our officers were responding quickly to precisely the sort of outrageous criminal behaviour that rightly offends the public. In undertaking their duties, officers were met with resistance and violence; followed by online vilification, condemnation and adverse commentary from those who did not have the full facts.
“It is vital that officers get the respect and support they deserve for routinely putting themselves in harm’s way to protect the public. Assaults on police officers are sadly all too common – 35 of my officers are assaulted every week across GM – and such incidents can never be justified.
“I am particularly grateful to those many members of the public who have contacted the force in order to pass on their best wishes to the officers affected.
“Whilst the criminal trial is now concluded, we are cognisant of the ongoing IOPC investigation into the conduct of our officers. We will continue to cooperate fully with this investigation, and we look forward to its conclusion in due course.”
