Brothers charged over airport fight with police

Two men have been charged over a fight with police at Manchester Airport which happened before an officer was filmed stamping on a suspect's head.

Brothers Mohammed Amaaz, 20, and Muhammed Amaad, 25, of Rochdale, have been charged with assaulting police officers, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said.

No charges are being brought against any police officers involved in the incident on 23 July, it added.

The solicitor representing Mr Amaaz and Mr Amaad said they would be requesting a victim's right of review of the CPS decision.

Social media footage emerged in July showing a police officer kicking a man in the head as he lay on the ground.

CCTV footage, later obtained by the Manchester Evening News, showed the lead-up to the incident.

Three Greater Manchester Police (GMP) officers are shown restraining a man at a car park ticketing machine before a fight ensues.

The footage shows punches being thrown and a police officer tasering a man and another officer stamping on the man's head.

The brothers' solicitor Aamer Anwar said the family had instructed Imran Khan KC, who represented the family of murdered teenager Stephen Lawrence, to represent them.

"My clients maintain their innocence and will vigorously contest the allegations," he said.

BBC Verify's analysis of five social media videos of the fight included one video, which appeared to show the officer who stamped on the man's head then approaching another man, stamping on his thigh and hitting him on the back of the head with a Taser.

Another officer appears to pepper-spray bystanders who are filming the incident.

The CPS said it had "concluded no charges should be brought against any officers" after examining evidence, reviewing "expert opinion" and taking into account police training.

Mr Anwar said his clients, including Mr Amaaz and Mr Amaad's mother Shameem Akhtar who alleged she was punched in the face by an officer's taser gun, have been "left "shocked" by the CPS's decision not to charge any police officers.

They would be requesting a review of the CPS decision, he said, adding: "Nobody should be above the law."

Two police officers are still under investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) watchdog after GMP conducted its own inquiry.

One officer had been suspended but GMP Chief Constable Stephen Watson said he was now lifting that suspension.

He said he "welcomed" the CPS's decision "to take no further criminal action against serving officers".

Mr Watson added: "The IOPC's misconduct investigation continues and we will continue to cooperate fully in this regard.

"I know that these matters have understandably generated a great deal of debate, scrutiny and speculation."

The IOPC said its investigation was nearing completion, and the final part of evidence had been shared with the CPS on Monday.

"We will now work to conclude the few remaining lines of inquiry as quickly as possible," a spokesman said.

"At that point, we will decide whether anyone serving with GMP should face disciplinary proceedings, and we will reach a decision on a series of complaints raised by six members of the public in relation to the incident."

Frank Ferguson, from the CPS, said this was a "high-profile incident that attracted significant public interest".

He said that after "careful consideration" of evidence, including witness statements and video footage, it had "concluded that two men should be charged with offences including assaults on police officers".

Mr Amaaz has been charged with two counts of actual bodily harm, one count of assault on a police officer and common assault against a member of a public in a cafe, GMP said.

Mr Amaad has been charged with a count of actual bodily harm on a police officer.

The pair will appear at Liverpool Magistrates' Court on 16 January.

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