Two men have been charged with assaulting police officers following an incident at Manchester Airport on July 23, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has said.
On Friday, Mohammed Fahir Amaaz, 20, was charged with two counts of assault occasioning actual bodily harm against a male police officer and a female police officer.
Amaaz was also charged with assault on an emergency worker against a second female officer. In addition, the 20-year-old was charged with common assault against a member of the public.
Muhammad Amaad, 25, has been charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm against a male police officer.
The charges relate to an incident involving the defendants and police at Manchester Airport, which garnered public and media attention after video footage had been shared online.
No Police Officers Charged
The CPS added that no police officers associated with the July 23 incident will be charged.
The charges against Amaaz and Amaad were made after the CPS’s Special Crime and Counter Terrorism Division, which deals with sensitive and complex cases including criminal allegations against police officers, had reviewed evidence, testimony, video footage, and other material related to police use of force.
Frank Fergus, head of the Special Crime and Counter Terrorism Division, remarked that this was a high profile case which attracted significant public interest and media coverage, and his department had worked closely with Greater Manchester Police (GMP) and the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).
Fergus said: “Based on a careful consideration of this evidence, we have concluded that two men should be charged with offences including assaults on police officers.
“We have concluded no charges should be brought against any officers. We examined potential offences of actual bodily harm, and common assault, and reviewed expert evidence in the form of an independent report from an expert in the use of police force, to inform this decision.”
He said that based on the combination of evidence and expert opinion, “there was no realistic prospect of conviction.”
He added: “We acknowledge that in this case as in any other, the strength of feeling has been high. Our specially trained prosecutors are often at the forefront of dealing with high-profile cases subject to intense public and media scrutiny and will always make independent and objective decisions based on all available evidence.”
Ferguson stressed that criminal proceedings are active and each of the defendants has a right to a fair trial, so there should be no reporting or commentary, or sharing information online which could prejudice proceedings.
Manchester Police Welcomes Decisions
Manchester Police Chief Constable Stephen Watson welcomed the decision to charge the two men with assaults on his officers and a member of the public.Watson also welcomed the decision to take no further action against servicing officers.
The chief constable said that following these decisions, he has lifted the suspension on the officers involved.
He added that the IOPC’s misconduct investigation continues, “and we will continue to cooperate fully in this regard.”
Misconduct Investigation
Also commenting, the IOPC said, “Our independent investigation into the use of force by police on six people during the incident continues and is nearing completion.”The body, which oversees the police complaints system, said that during its investigation it shared relevant information with the CPS to “assist with making a swift decision in this case.”
The IOPC said in a statement: “On Monday (16 December), we shared the final such piece of evidence with the CPS to consider potential charges. We will now work to conclude the few remaining lines of inquiry as quickly as possible.”
It added that it will reach a decision on a series of complaints raised by six members of the public on whether any officer should face disciplinary proceedings.
“It was important for events at Manchester Airport on 23 July to be carefully investigated. The IOPC and GMP investigations are separate, and with different remits, but between them ensure there is an appropriate level of scrutiny of these matters,” investigators added.
