A pregnant police officer was left sobbing and bleeding after being punched in the face during a violent brawl at Manchester Airport, a court has heard.
Constable Lydia Ward told Liverpool Crown Court she was “absolutely terrified” after being knocked unconscious by Mohammed Fahir Amaaz, 20, who allegedly swung a punch that broke her nose as officers attempted to arrest him at Terminal Two last July.
Body-worn camera footage played to jurors showed the distressing aftermath, with PC Ward bloodied and crying whilst being comforted by colleagues following the incident that has already attracted significant public attention after footage went viral online.
“Never Experienced Such Violence”
PC Ward, who described herself as “quite petite, 5ft 2in and 8st”, was part of a three-officer team dispatched to arrest Amaaz on suspicion of headbutting a customer at a Starbucks café minutes earlier.
Giving evidence, the former Lancashire Police special constable who joined Greater Manchester Police in 2018 said: “Never in my whole time in the police service had that level of violence been used on me before. I have been assaulted before but never had that level of violence.”
The unarmed officer told the court how the situation “escalated from nought to 100” after she and colleagues PC Zachary Marsden and PC Ellie Cook – both armed officers – approached Amaaz at a pay station in the car park.
“We had gone in, all three of us, and I remember taking the arm of the suspect,” PC Ward told the court. “My concentration was on trying to take his arm to place it behind his back to put the handcuffs on him but then it escalated very, very quickly.”
Brutal Attack Captured on CCTV
The jury has been shown CCTV footage from multiple angles capturing what prosecutors described as a “high level of violence” inflicted on the officers. Junior prosecution counsel Adam Birkby told the court that Amaaz threw 10 punches during the confrontation, including the blow that floored PC Ward.
PC Ward recounted trying to stop Amaaz from “booting” her colleague PC Marsden, who had fallen onto some seats: “He was raising his leg and properly booting him – kicking him really hard. I tried to grab him off and to stop him kicking PC Marsden.”
“I remember he just then turned round and punched me straight in the face,” she said. I remember it landed and it going black and getting a thud in my face, then falling to the floor – everything going black and then coming round.
“Blood Pouring Out”
The officer described the terrifying moments after regaining consciousness: “I just remember thinking, ‘He’s knocked me out’ – I remember hitting the floor and everything going black.”
“As I came round, all I could feel was blood pouring out of my nose and blood coming onto my hands. It was all in spots on the floor. I thought, ‘He has done something to my nose or face area.’ I thought, ‘I have got a bad injury here’ – I was terrified, I was absolutely terrified.”
PC Ward told the court she feared further violence from the hostile crowd that had gathered: “I did not know if there was someone in that crowd who was going to take the next swing at me or whether the male was going to go after me again and punch me in the face.
Hostile Environment
The officer painted a picture of chaos and hostility, with onlookers “shouting and filming stuff on their mobile phones” rather than offering assistance.
“No one was coming to help or assist. It felt like everyone in that room was against us. It was honestly terrifying. I was just terrified of them coming near to me because of the hostility I felt from everyone there,” she said.
PC Ward attempted to call for backup by pressing the emergency red button on her radio but later discovered the battery had been knocked out during the fracas. She eventually deployed pepper spray against two men who approached whilst Amaaz was on the ground after being Tasered.
Brothers Face Multiple Charges
Mohammed Fahir Amaaz, 20, faces four charges: two counts of causing actual bodily harm to PC Marsden and PC Ward, one count of assaulting emergency worker PC Cook, and one count of common assault on Abdulkareem Ismaeil at the Starbucks café.
His brother Muhammed Amaad, 26, is charged with causing actual bodily harm to PC Marsden. Both men, from Rochdale, Greater Manchester, deny all allegations.
Defence Claims Self-Defence
Under cross-examination by Rosemary Fernandes, representing Amaaz, PC Ward rejected suggestions that her client acted in self-defence after being “taken by surprise” and believing he was being attacked.
“I don’t know how he felt I was an assailant,” PC Ward responded. He turned towards me and punched me in the face. He could see I was a police officer and he could see I was a female as well.
Wider Context
The incident occurred on 23 July 2024 and gained significant public attention after footage emerged showing a police officer kicking and stamping on Amaaz’s head whilst he was on the ground. This prompted protests in Rochdale and Manchester city centre.
The Crown Prosecution Service authorised charges against the brothers in December 2024 but determined there was “no realistic prospect of conviction” for any Greater Manchester Police officers involved. However, two officers remain under investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct for potential misconduct.
PC Ward later attended hospital where it was confirmed she had suffered a broken nose that required surgical realignment.
The trial, expected to last three weeks before Judge Neil Flewitt KC, continues.
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