Brothers deny assaulting police in airport incident that sparked protests

Two brothers charged over a Manchester Airport altercation have denied assaulting police officers.

Footage emerged last July showing a Greater Manchester Police officer kicking and stamping on the head of a man lying on the ground in Terminal 2.

The video clip went viral and led to a probe by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) watchdog.

Since then, the two men in the video, brothers Mohammed Fahir Amaaz, 20, and Muhammed Amaad, 25, have been charged over the alleged altercation.

They appeared in court today where they denied assault charges as they entered not guilty pleas.

Amaaz, from Tarnside Close, Rochdale, is alleged to have assaulted PC Zachary Marsden and PC Lydia Ward, causing both actual bodily harm.

He is also accused of the assault of PC Ellie Cook at the terminal car park paystation and the assault of Abdulkareem Ismaeil, a member of the public, said to have taken place earlier at a nearby Starbucks.

Amaad, also from Rochdale, was charged over an alleged assault of PC Marsden resulting in actual bodily harm.

The brothers were seen arriving at Liverpool Crown Court dressed in identical dark suits after being granted unconditional bail at a previous court hearing in January.

Their three-week trial is set to start on June 30 at the same court.

The pair’s unconditional bail was extended by Judge Andrew Menary KC.

Footage of the alleged altercation led to protests in Greater Manchester, with crowds gathering outside Rochdale police station shouting ‘shame on you’ after the first video emerged.

Got a story? Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at [email protected]. Or you can submit your videos and pictures here.

For more stories like this, check our news page.

Follow Metro.co.uk on Twitter and Facebook for the latest news updates. You can now also get Metro.co.uk articles sent straight to your device. Sign up for our daily push alerts here.

MORE: Mum tried to murder her two children in ‘revenge’ for husband’s affair

MORE: Man who ‘killed four university students could walk free thanks to new evidence’

MORE: Dad with ‘heart of gold’ killed by exploding tractor tyre