A student has told a jury he feared he would be “battered” to death on the ground by a police officer at Manchester Airport.
Mohammed Fahir Amaaz, 20, is on trial at Liverpool Crown Court accused of assaulting three Greater Manchester Police (GMP) officers as they attempted to arrest him on the evening of July 23 last year.
Pc Zachary Marsden and his colleagues, fellow armed officer Pc Ellie Cook and unarmed Pc Lydia Ward, entered the Terminal 2 car park paystation area after reports that a male fitting Amaaz’s description had headbutted a member of the public.
Giving evidence on Thursday, Amaaz said he acted in self-defence and in defence of his brother, Muhammad Amaad, 26, after he was grabbed at the ticket machine with no explanation.
He said he turned and recognised a police officer, Pc Marsden, had hold of his left arm.
Imran Khan KC, defending, said: “By this point what, if anything, is going through your mind?”
Amaaz said: “At first he grabs me and then he just forces me against the ticket machine. All of a sudden I remember him grabbing the back of my neck and trying to force me to the ground.
“Honestly I was scared at that point. I didn’t know what he was trying to do.”
Mr Khan said: “How did you feel at this point?”
Amaaz said: “I was frightened. I just didn’t want to go down to the ground. Honestly I believed if he took me to the ground I thought he would have battered me to the point where I was dead and he would have killed me.”
Mr Khan said: “Why did you think that Fahir?”
Amaaz said: “Because it’s not like it has not happened before in the past, that some police officers have abused their powers and as a result of that people have died.”
Mr Khan said: “Is that why you resisted?”
“Yes,” said the defendant.
Amaaz said he stayed on his feet and looked up to see his brother, Amaad, being punched in the face “repeatedly”
He told the court: “Honestly I was shocked. I thought ‘what the hell are these lot doing? why are they punching him in the face’.
“We have police officers in our family.”
Mr Khan said: “Did you think there was a legitimate reason for them grabbing you in the way they did?”
Amaaz said: “If there was I would have expected them to give me that reason and communicated to us in some way.”
He went on to strike the two female officers, who were both knocked to the ground, with Pc Ward suffering a broken nose.
He said he kicked out at one of the officers to “get him away” from Amaad and then punched Pc Cook for the same reason.
He hit Pc Ward after he felt a punch go towards his throat, he said.
Amaaz said: “Honestly I feel a punch and instinctively I feel I needed to protect myself so I just turn and strike at the same time.
“I just threw a punch. I didn’t know where it was going.”
Mr Khan said: “What did you intend to do?”
Amaaz said: “Just to stop the attack. Protect myself.”
He said he then saw an officer (Pc Cook) “literally running towards me with their hands up”.
He said: “I thought that officer was about to attack me. I felt I had got no choice but to protect myself. I struck out. I don’t recall how many times.”
Amaaz said then he saw Pc Marsden pointing what he thought was a gun – which was in fact a Taser – at his brother.
He said: “Honestly I believe this guy is about to shoot and kill my brother. I think I shouted ‘no’. I didn’t want him to pull that trigger.”
He ran towards Pc Marsden and struck him from behind before Pc Cook fired her Taser at him, the court heard.
Amaaz said: “I believed I had saved my brother’s life then all of a sudden if feels like all the energy has just gone out of me. It felt like the soul being sucked out of my body and everything went stiff.”
He said he thought he was “dying” as he held on to Pc Marsden as they both fell backwards.
Footage of what followed as Amaaz lay on the floor later emerged on social media and went viral as Pc Marsden kicked him to the head and was seen to stamp near him.
On the ground he heard “shouting and screaming”, he said.
Amaaz went on: “I remember hearing shouting from one side and lifting my head to see who is shouting.
“I remember a boot coming straight for my face. As soon as it hit me it knocked me out for a few seconds and I think the stamp woke me up.
Mr Khan said: “You couldn’t see the stamp at the time?”
“No,” said the defendant.
Mr Khan said: “Did you fell something at your head?”
Amaaz said: “Yes. It was sort of a shove downwards to the floor.”
Amaaz told the jury that he had no hostility towards the police and that another brother, Abid, was a serving GMP officer.
He added that his uncle was a GMP officer for 30 years before his retirement and that six cousins were also employed by GMP.
Mr Khan asked Amaaz: “What was the reason you acted in the way you did on July 23?”
Amaaz said: “Throughout the whole incident, me and my brother was under attack. I was trying to protect myself and him.
“I just felt I was fighting for my life.”
Amaaz is alleged to have assaulted Pc Marsden and Pc Ward, causing them actual bodily harm.
He is also accused of the assault of emergency worker Pc Cook, and the earlier assault of a member of the public, Abdulkareem Ismaeil, at a Starbucks cafe in T2 arrivals.
Amaad is alleged to have assaulted Pc Marsden, causing actual bodily harm.
Both men, from Rochdale, Greater Manchester, deny the allegations.
