Politicians are facing criticism for rushing to judgment in the case of a Manchester Airport attacker before the trial concluded, according to the shadow justice secretary.
Mohammed Fahir Amaaz, 20, was found guilty of assaulting two female officers, PCs Ellie Cook and Lydia Ward, following a three-week trial at Manchester Airport. He also received a guilty verdict for headbutting a member of the public, Abdulkareem Hamzah Abbas Ismaeil, shortly before the confrontation with the officers.
Shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick stated that Labour politicians “leapt to the defence of this thug before awaiting the full facts.”
A jury could not reach verdicts on a charge that Amaaz and his brother Muhammad Amaad, 25, assaulted another officer, PC Zachary Marsden. Video footage captured PC Marsden kicking Amaaz in the face during the incident. A retrial is now being sought.
Jenrick criticized Manchester Central MP Lucy Powell, claiming she “mistakenly raised concerns in the House of Commons” and called for her to issue an apology.
Mohammed Fahir Amaaz
(Image: GMP)
Jenrick asserted that Amaaz “rightly been found guilty of serious offences” and described the evidence as “clear as day.” He added, “Police officers deserve to know that those who attack them in the line of duty will be properly punished.” He expressed hope that Amaaz would face a lengthy prison sentence.
“At the time of the attack some people were quick to judge the police,” Jenrick said. “Those Labour politicians who leapt to the defence of this thug before awaiting the full facts should be ashamed. The cabinet minister, Lucy Powell, mistakenly raised concerns in the House of Commons. She should issue a full public apology. Police officers do a difficult job. They don’t always get it right. But if we’re to fight crime and make our country safe again, the police need to know we’ve got their backs when they tackle violent offenders.”
Muhammad Amaad
(Image: Getty Images)
An investigation into PC Marsden’s actions by the Independent Office for Police Conduct is ongoing, including a criminal probe that might lead to a re-referral to the Crown Prosecution Service, jurors were informed.
Rochdale MP Paul Waugh reportedly described the video footage of the incident as “shocking and disturbing” and met with Amaaz’s family. The brothers were at the airport to meet their mother.
Waugh stated, “I have spoken to the family involved in the incident at Manchester Airport on Tuesday night, and it is clear they are deeply traumatised by what happened. The family, who are my constituents in Rochdale, have two priorities. The first and most immediate priority is the health and wellbeing of their family members, including their mother. Their second priority is the need for justice to be done and seen to be done.”
Following the conviction on Wednesday (July 30), Waugh commented that the incident demonstrated how “police put their own safety at risk every day to protect us all.” He characterized the assault as “violent” and “ferocious.”
Robert Jenrick MP
(Image: PA)
Waugh added, “Violent assault against our police is utterly unacceptable. The sheer ferocity of the assaults faced by these two brave women police officers was shocking, and so too was the vicious headbutt of a member of the public.”
He continued, “The jury could also see for themselves the full context of why the police were called in the first place – to detain a man who had seriously assaulted a customer in a café at Manchester airport.”
“When I met the Assistant Chief Constable of GMP at the time, I asked him to pass on my concerns for the officers injured in this incident,” Waugh said. “I was very clear that any perpetrator of criminal attacks on our police should face the full force of the law. This case shows how the police put their own safety at risk every day to protect us all, and have to react in real time to fast-moving incidents.”
“Proceedings are still live in relation to the charge of assault of another officer and given the CPS has said it intends to seek a retrial, contempt of court rules still apply in relation to that charge and prevent further comment. The justice system should be allowed to complete its course.”
Initially, Leader of the House of Commons Lucy Powell stated the incident was “truly shocking” and insisted Greater Manchester Police should refer itself to the Independent Office for Police Conduct. She later confirmed the police force had initiated this referral.
Paul Waugh MP
(Image: Copyright Unknown)
Blackburn MP Adnan Hussain described the incident as a “complete abuse of power” in Parliament. Manchester Rusholme MP Afzal Khan called for “meaningful assurances” from police chiefs regarding “excessive force against an unarmed civilian.”
Hussain told MPs, “I have been inundated with messages of concern and upset from my constituents following the horrific images from Manchester Airport, and I myself am deeply concerned about what can only be described as a complete abuse of power.”
He asked, “Will the Leader of the House join me in declaring, to reassure the general public, that we should never have to witness such scenes of violence in a country such as ours where no authority is above the law, and that all necessary measures must be taken to investigate how and why such an incident arose?”
Bolton South and Walkden MP Yasmin Qureshi expressed being “deeply concerned” by the video, adding, “This has prompted serious public concern.”
Oldham East and Saddleworth MP Debbie Abrahams stated she wished to “associate myself” with Waugh’s remarks about “the appalling incident at Manchester International Airport.”
Lucy Powell commented, “I welcome this prosecution as those who attack police officers should face the full force of the law. The police show bravery and resilience in response to appalling situations every day, and I stand fully behind them in doing their jobs to protect us all.”
