Manchester airport brawl began with Starbucks assault, jury hears
Three officers, PC Zachary Marsden and PC Ellie Cook - both armed - and PC Lydia Ward, unarmed, approached the defendants, he said.Mr Greaney went on: "The officers attempted to move Mohammed Fahir Amaaz away from a payment machine in order to arrest him, but he resisted, and his brother Muhammad Amaad intervened."He said they both assaulted PC Marsden. "In the moments that followed, the first defendant also assaulted PC Cook and then PC Ward too, breaking her nose," Mr Greaney said. "The defendants used a high level of violence."Amaaz is alleged to have assaulted PC Marsden and PC Ward, causing them actual bodily harm.He is also accused of the assault of PC Cook and the earlier assault of Abdulkareem Ismaeil at Starbucks.Amaad, 26, is alleged to have assaulted Pc Marsden, causing actual bodily harm.
Mr Greaney said the defendants had travelled to the airport with their young nephew to collect their mother who was due to arrive back on a flight from Qatar.He said it was clear that "something happened" involving Abdulkareem Ismaeil, who was on the same flight as the pair's mother, that "made [her] unhappy". She pointed out Mr Ismaeil, who was in Starbucks with his family, to her sons as they were walking through the terminal. "At just after 8.20pm, the defendants entered Starbucks and confronted Abdulkareem Ismaei," Mr Greaney said. "During that confrontation, Mohammed Fahir Amaaz delivered a headbutt to the face of Abdulkareem Ismaeil and punched him, then attempted to deliver other blows, all in front of a number of children."The prosecution case is that this was obviously unlawful conduct."Mr Greaney told jurors the prosecution's position was this was "not a complicated case" as the events were captured on CCTV. "So you will not have to depend only on the recollections of witnesses. You will also be able to see with your own eyes what happened," he said. Mr Greaney said the defendants would say "that at all stages they were acting in lawful self-defence or in defence of the other". "Our prediction is that you will readily conclude that the defendants were not acting in lawful self-defence and that their conduct was unlawful," he added.
Listen to the best of BBC Radio Manchester on Sounds and follow BBC Manchester on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
12 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
The souped-up e-bikes terrorising British cities: Cycles are illegally modified to go 70MPH around the streets, injuring pedestrians and unleashing chaos
E-bikes in British cities are being illegally modified to reach speeds of more than 70mph - as locals complain their streets are becoming 'even more unsafe'. The majority of hundreds of delivery cycles in Birmingham are operating outside the law and ignoring the 15.5mph speed limit, police say. There are also reports of riders 'scattering' when apprehended on streets and drivers being arrested - but then released on bail. Speaking to ITV, a West Midlands officer explained she had 'got hurt' last year after one delivery driver sped off as police attempted to stop him. She said: 'What they're doing is incorrect and they shouldn't have the speeds they're going up to. 'It is a little tricky for us to try and detain them but we do get them and we get the bikes off the road. 'I got hurt last year trying to stop them.' One of the bikes seized by police during the operation was able to do more than 70mph. Two of the riders stopped in the report were also found to be in the country illegally - though they were arrested and released straight away on bail and given penalty notices. Locals have also voiced fears pavements are 'no longer a safe space' and speeding riders are especially of concern for partially sighted people. Louise Connop of the Thomas Poplington Trust said: 'They're a massive nuisance. We use the pavements as a safe space and it's becoming even more unsafe and unreliable.' Steve Keith, who is partially sighted, added: 'So they're now doing illegal speeds on the footpath and you don't know they're there until it's gone whizzing past you. 'By that time it's scared the living daylights out of myself and my guide dog.' Cycling journalist and reporter Laura Laker told ITV there were other concerns besides injuries on the road including the bikes 'catching fire'. She said: 'These are machines that have been modified and they're illegal for use on UK roads and police treat them like motorbikes. 'They're also catching fire in people's homes. It's absolutely devastating.' Ms Laker claimed the issue was 'all being driven by delivery firms' with companies using a 'legal loophole' to not class riders as workers. She added people being paid on a 'per drop basis' are pushed to make 'as many deliveries as they can in as short a time as possible'. Ms Laker insisted riders were being 'exploited' and 'put under a lot of pressure'. It comes as menacing e-bikes worth up to £5,000 have recently been unearthed as being used 'almost exclusively' for a wave of crime on Britain's streets. Donna Jones, who is responsible for policing in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, warned in March the electric bicycles which resemble motorbikes are frequently being used by criminals due to their 'agility'. The police and crime commissioner claimed the majority of people using these type of e-bikes are 'doing something wrong' as she voiced her concerns over the spate of crime gripping Britain. Charity Crimestoppers says it has been inundated with reports of members of the public being terrorised by riders. Examples include a farmer in Dumfries who found his fields had been ripped up overnight, costing him thousands of pounds in repairs and increased security and an elderly lady in Edinburgh who almost stepped into the path of a bus to avoid a bike on the pavement crashing into her. In February, Whinhill Golf Club in Greenock, Renfrewshire, was badly damaged by people riding off road bikes on the fairways. Angela Parker National Manager of Crimestoppers, said: 'We heard from many people who felt scared and threatened by the increased use of illegal off-road bikes. 'This illegal activity also damages the environment and heritage, taking years to recovers and costing thousands to repair.' Last December, it emerged that almost 300 dangerous e-scooters and e-bikes were seized by police in the first nine months of 2024 amid a spike in illegal modifications. Officers removed 281 vehicles from the roads after finding they exceeded speed and power limits. In comparison, just 91 were seized in the previous two years. Under Scots law, e-scooters are only legal on private land. They should have a maximum speed of 15.5mph and a maximum power of 250 watts. E-bikes, which can be used on cycle paths and public roads, should always come with pedals and the motor should not be able to power it above 15.5mph.
BBC News
19 minutes ago
- BBC News
Man charged after serious assault in Claverham
A man has been charged with causing grievous bodily harm after a serious Harrison, 37, of no fixed address, has also been charged with being in possession of a bladed article after another man sustained potentially life-changing victim remains in hospital in a stable condition following the incident on High Street, in Claverham, Somerset, at about 16:40 BST on Thursday, Avon and Somerset Police force also confirmed that a 25-year-old man has been released on police bail and enquiries are ongoing.
Telegraph
20 minutes ago
- Telegraph
The need for constant vigilance
Twenty years ago today, Londoners awoke to a bright summer's day with a spring in their step. The capital had just been named the venue for the 2012 Olympic Games, confirming its global status. Better still, it had beaten Paris to the prize. On the radio that morning, Sir Ian Blair, Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, discussed the security needs for such a big event and described his force's anti-terrorist preparations as ''the envy of the policing world''. Yet even as he spoke, four men were making their way on to the London transport system to turn his words to dust. The quartet of suicide bombers would commit the worst atrocity on British soil, killing 52 people. A few days passed before it was clear who was responsible and the discovery was a shock. These were not terrorists who had arrived from overseas to attack the UK. They were homegrown fundamentalists, led by a Yorkshire-born teaching assistant of Pakistani descent, trained in bomb-making at an al-Qaeda training camp in Afghanistan. The revelation led to a great deal of soul-searching about the apparent failure to assimilate into British culture people who were actually raised in the country. A video left by Mohammad Sidique Khan made clear that he considered loyalty to Islam to be greater than that to his country. The destruction of al-Qaeda training camps after 9/11 reduced the bomb-making expertise available to fanatics who now more often use stolen lorries or knives to cause carnage. But the possibility of mass casualty attacks remains and the security agencies need to maintain the highest vigilance. They have to be able to gather intelligence from within Muslim communities, especially now so many young people are being radicalised over the internet. Can we be sure that enough is being done to make this happen?
