A jury has been unable to reach a verdict in the retrial of two brothers, Mohammed Fahir Amaaz and Muhammad Amaad, who were accused of assaulting a police officer at Manchester Airport in 2024.
Mohammed Fahir Amaaz, 21, and Muhammad Amaad, 26, have been on trial at Liverpool Crown Court over allegations that they inflicted a “high level of violence” when they allegedly assaulted PC Zachary Marsden on July 23, 2024.
Amaaz was found guilty at a previous trial of assaulting a member of the public and two female police officers during the incident, which went viral across social media platforms.
The court spent 10 hours deliberating in July 2025 over the allegations but could not reach a verdict on the claims that the brothers had assaulted PC Zachary Marsden.
The retrial, which began on Wednesday, May 20, lasted over 20 hours, as jurors once again said they could not agree on the allegations of assault against PC Marsden. A further hearing has been scheduled for May 29, as prosecutors asked the judge to consider their position and decide whether they will seek another retrial.
Events of the incident
CCTV footage of the incident shows three officers — PC Lydia Ward, PC Ellie Cook and PC Zachary Marsden — fighting with Amaaz and Amaad during the incident.
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The court heard that the three Greater Manchester Police officers had entered the Terminal 2 car park pay station after reports that a male fitting Amaaz’s description had headbutted a member of the public at a café in the airport minutes earlier.
The prosecution said that Amaaz had resisted attempts to take him outside when Amaad eventually intervened.
The brothers alleged that their actions were defensive rather than offensive, claiming they were “under attack”.
PC Ward sustained a broken nose during the altercation after she collapsed to the floor following a punch to the face from Amaaz, who had also knocked PC Cook to the ground with punches.
“It was happening so fast, I couldn’t process the details,” Amaaz said, claiming he did not realise that PC Ward and PC Cook were women.
Amaaz was also convicted at the previous trial of assaulting Abdulkareem Ismaeil, a member of the public, in a Starbucks.
Greater Manchester Police said: “While we are disappointed a verdict could not be reached today, we respect the outcome of the court process.
“We will continue to do what we can to support what happens next, in the interests of the officers affected and the public.”
The trial of the brothers from Rochdale, Greater Manchester, represents another instance in UK court cases where jurors were unable to reach a verdict.
A jury at Birmingham Crown Court also failed to reach a verdict in the terrorism trial of pro-Palestine activist and aid worker Majid Freeman, with a retrial provisionally scheduled for September 20, 2027.
