Mohammed Fahir Amaaz and his brother Muhammad Amaad were granted more than £113,000 in legal aid after a violent clash with police at Manchester Airport. While one brother was jailed for assaulting officers and a customer, both were cleared of causing grievous bodily harm to another officer.
The £113,000 legal aid split for the Amaaz brothers
Public records obtained via a Freedom of Information request by the Daily Mail reveal that the Amaaz brothers received a combbined £113,000 in taxpayer-funded legal assistance . Mohammed Fahir Amaaz received £78,420.42, which included over £59,000 for barristers and £19,000 for solicitors. His brother, Muhammad Amaad, was allocated £34,694.56.
Beyond the defense costs,the Daily Mail reports that the overall cost of prosecuting the two men is estimated to be nearly £2 million. This figure underscores the immense financial burden placed on the public purse during high-profile criminal proceedings involving multiple trials and complex evidence .
Imran Khan KC and the attempt to block CCTV evidence
The legal defense for the brothers involved high-profile representation, including human rights lawyer Imran Khan KC for Mohammed Fahir Amaaz and Chloe Gardner for Muhammad Amaad. According to the Daily Mail, the defense teams made several attempts to derail the proceedings, including a bid to suppress CCTV footage of an unprovoked headbutt.
The defense argued the footage should be excluded because the recording lacked audio, though this effort was ultimately unsuccessful. The use of top-tier legal talent, such as Khan,who is known for representing the family of Stephen Lawrence, highlights the aggressive strategy employed to challenge the prosecution's case.
The 'toxic' culture claim and the court clerk's comment
A significant point of contention during the trials was an alleged comment made by a court clerk regarding PC Zachary Marsden. The clerk reportedly told Detective Chief Superintendent Lewis Hughes that "PC Marsden should have kicked Amaaz harder in the head" after the officer had kicked Mohammed Fahir Amaaz in the face during the melee.
This remark led the defense to argue that Greater Manchester Police operated within a "toxic" environment, prompting a failed request to move the retrial to a different court. While a senior judge rejected the claim of bias, he did rule that a new clerk and usher should be appointed for the proceedings.
PC Lydia Ward's injuries versus the defense's conduct claims
The legal battle highlighted a sharp contrast between the physical evidence of the assault and the defense's strategy to challenge police legitimacy. While CCTV showed Mohammed Fahir Amaaz breaking the nose of PC Lydia Ward, the defense attempted to introduce previous allegations of improper force against the officers involved.
Judge Neil Flewitt rejected these claims, ruling that the jury should not hear about past complaints that had already been dismissed. This clash mirrors a wider trend in high-profile UK police cases where defense teams attempt to pivot the focus from the defendant's actions to the systemic culture of the arresting force, often using allegations of police misconduct to create reasonable doubt.
The decision to abandon a third trial for PC Zachary Marsden
Several details regarding the conclusion of the case remain unclear, specifically why the prosecution declined to pursue a second retrial for the GBH charges. While the Daily Mail reports that juries in two separate trials failed to reach verdicts regarding the assault on PC Zachary Marsden, the specific legal reasoning for the prosecution's decision to stop there was not provided.
Additionally, it remains unverified whether any disciplinary action was taken against the court clerk who allegedly joked about the violence. The source reports only the defense's claims and the judge's rulings, leaving the internal administrative response of the court system unknown.
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