PC Lydia Ward, a police officer assaulted at Manchester Airport in July 2024, has stated she wants her attacker, Mohammed Fahir Amaaz, to demonstrate remorse. Amaaz, 21, was sentenced to three and a half years in prison for causing actual bodily harm to PC Ward, who suffered a broken nose and required surgery.
In her first public interview, PC Ward, 29, shared that she has not yet received an apology from Amaaz, described as a university dropout. She expressed a desire to understand his motivations and the impact of his actions on her life. Despite the attack, which she described as incredibly painful and frightening, PC Ward stated her intention to return to frontline policing. She recently became a mother.
The incident occurred after Amaaz headbutted a Kuwaiti holidaymaker, whom he accused of racially abusing his mother. PC Ward and two armed colleagues attempted to arrest Amaaz, then 19, as he was paying for parking. Amaaz and his brother, Muhammad Amaad, 26, then began assaulting PC Ward and her colleague, PC Ellie Cook. Amaaz struck PC Ward in the face, causing her to fall, and repeatedly hit PC Cook. His brother reportedly overpowered PC Zachary Marsden. PC Cook eventually subdued Amaaz with a Taser.
Confusion arose when footage of PC Marsden kicking Amaaz during the altercation was filmed by onlookers and circulated online, leading to protests and calls to defund the police. However, subsequent leaked CCTV footage revealed the violence directed at the officers beforehand. PC Ward described the partial release of the video as "really frustrating" and inaccurate to the full story.
Following the assault, a 150-day investigation by prosecutors concluded that PC Marsden would not face charges. The Amaaz brothers were charged with assaulting the three officers. Their trial last year, which included bodycam footage of the assault, resulted in Amaaz's conviction for assaulting PC Ward and PC Cook, as well as the passenger. However, the jury could not reach a verdict on whether either brother had assaulted PC Marsden. They claimed self-defense or defense of one another.
Máaz also denied knowing the officers he punched were female, stating he had respect for women. A subsequent jury failed to reach verdicts regarding assaults on PC Marsden, and prosecutors decided not to pursue a third trial. Greater Manchester's Chief Constable, Sir Stephen Watson, has expressed a desire for officers' attackers to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, while declining to criticize the decision. However, reports indicate detectives favored a third trial.