Manchester Airport Attacker Fails to Reduce Sentence
Court of Appeal rejects bid by Mohammed Fahir Amaaz to lessen his three-and-a-half year jail term for assaulting two female police officers.
The Court of Appeal has rejected a bid by Mohammed Fahir Amaaz, 21, to reduce his three-and-a-half year prison sentence. Amaaz was convicted in 2025 for common assault and two counts of actual bodily harm against police officers Sgt Lydia Ward and PC Ellie Cook during an incident at Manchester Airport in July 2024.
The grounds for appeal argued that the sentence was "wrong in principle and resulted in a sentence that was manifestly excessive." However, the court found that footage clearly showed Amaaz "inflicting unprovoked violence against PC Ward and PC Cook."
The incident occurred after Amaaz assaulted a holidaymaker he accused of racial abuse. When Sgt Ward, then a constable, and her colleagues attempted to arrest Amaaz at a car park pay station, he resisted and assaulted them. Amaaz punched Sgt Ward in the face, breaking her nose, and then knocked PC Cook to the ground with a series of blows. His brother, Muhammed Amaad, also became involved in the altercation, overpowering another officer.
Following a trial at Liverpool Crown Court, Amaaz was found guilty of assaulting Sgt Ward and PC Cook. A jury was unable to reach verdicts on charges related to an assault on a third officer, PC Zachary Marsden.
Sgt Ward, in a statement read in court, described the lasting physical and mental trauma caused by the attack. She stated that Amaaz used her as a "punch bag" but asserted her resilience. PC Cook also detailed how the assault left her "broken" and put her career aspirations on hold.
