A jury was presented with video footage depicting a man allegedly being headbutted before a confrontation ensued between two brothers and police at a bustling airport. Mohammed Fahir Amaaz, 21, and Muhammad Amaad, 26, both hailing from Rochdale, Greater Manchester, had gone to Manchester Airport on July 23, 2024, to pick up their mother. However, a situation escalated leading to a scuffle at the airport after the younger brother purportedly headbutted a man at a neighboring Starbucks.
Surveillance footage showing the alleged headbutt by Amaaz was screened to jurors at Liverpool Crown Court. Subsequently, Amaaz was accused of assaulting a police officer at a parking pay station post the coffee shop incident. The incident unfolded after the brothers’ mother had a disagreement with a man during a flight back to the UK. She had returned from Pakistan via Qatar before the altercation occurred.
During the trial’s second day, jurors were presented with CCTV footage and a detailed account of events, including snapshots from the video. Prosecutors narrated the sequence, highlighting Amaaz headbutting Mr. Ismaeil and subsequent physical altercations before being separated by Amaad and their mother.
Witness Cameron Cartledge, who was the duty manager at Starbucks at the time, testified that he observed a heated argument between three individuals, identifying them as Mr. Ismaeil and the two defendants. He indicated Amaaz as the apparent aggressor based on his body language and tone. Cartledge mentioned calling the police promptly after witnessing the headbutt.
Following the incident at the coffee shop, Amaaz and his family had left before the authorities arrived. Amaaz was later found guilty of assaulting Abdulkareem Ismaeil at Starbucks and two female police officers in a separate trial. The court was informed about the injuries sustained by PC Ward during the assault, and Amaaz and Amaad are currently standing trial for assaulting PC Zachary Marsden, causing bodily harm, at the pay station.
The trial is ongoing.
