Full Breakdown
Manchester Airport Assault Leads to 3½-Year Prison Term for Mohammed Fahir Amaaz
6/26/2026, 11:04:50 PM
Core Assault, Injuries and Sentence
On 23 July 2024, 21-year-old Mohammed Fahir Amaaz of Rochdale assaulted three people outside Terminal 2, Manchester Airport. He punched PC Lydia Ward, breaking her nose, and delivered ten punches, two elbows and a kick to PC Ellie Cook, causing jaw pain. Crown Court sentenced him to 3½ years in 2026; Judge Neil Flewitt KC called him the “aggressor” and noted a lack of remorse.
Trigger
The incident began in the airport’s Starbucks, where Amaaz head-butted Abdulkareem Ismaeil after accusing him of racially abusing Amaaz’s mother. Police found Amaaz and his brother Muhammad Amaad, 26, at a pay-station before the assault.
Timeline
The assault took place on 23 July 2024. A 2025 trial convicted Amaaz of assaulting Ismaeil, PC Ward and PC Cook, but the jury could not decide on the charge against officer PC Zachary Marsden. A retrial in early 2026 also hung on that charge. Sentencing occurred in June 2026.
Official and Judicial Responses
Judge Flewitt warned that Amaaz’s attempt to cast himself as a victim “does not bode well for rehabilitation”. Chief Constable Sir Stephen Watson QPM called the incident outrageous. The CPS confirmed no third trial on the Marsden charge, which ended with a not-guilty verdict after hung juries. An IOPC investigation into officer conduct remains open.
Victims’ Impact Statements
PC Ward called the attack “cowardly”, citing the scar on her nose and the shock of being blindsided. PC Cook said she felt “traumatised”, likening the force to being attacked by “three to four people”, and announced she would give up her firearms-officer role, halting her close-protection ambitions.
Defense Claim
Amaaz and his brother claimed self-defence, saying they responded to unlawful force and were protecting each other. The CPS’s decision to drop the Marsden prosecution shows the difficulty of disproving the claim.
Wider Implications for Police Safety
Greater Manchester Police report 35 officers are assaulted weekly, highlighting the risk. PC Cook’s career shift and PC Ward’s scar illustrate the personal toll of such attacks.
Verbatim Quotes
- “What you did was cowardly.” — PC Lydia Ward, Sergeant
- “You knocked me to the ground with one punch, with so much force you broke my nose.” — PC Lydia Ward
- “such power behind them that I thought I was being attacked by three to four people” — PC Ellie Cook, Firearms Officer
- “It would have been open to you, having seen the CCTV, to say there was no justification for your attack on Ismaeil, PC Ward and PC Cook.” — Judge Neil Flewitt KC
Next Steps
The IOPC investigation continues, and Amaaz’s rehabilitation will be monitored during his term, while victims call for more support for assaulted officers.
