Reform plans private prosecution of men in Manchester Airport fight with police

A still from a video appearing to show an officer kicking and stamping on the head of Fahir Amaaz at Manchester Airport
A video appearing to show an officer kicking and stamping on the head of Fahir Amaaz at Manchester Airport went viral in July - Twitter

Reform UK is planning to launch a private prosecution of the men involved in an altercation with police at Manchester Airport earlier this year.

Reform’s five MPs have written to Yvette Cooper, the Home Secretary, to say that they believe the officers involved have been “thrown under the bus” while the men have gone unpunished.

They said they also believe there has been a cover-up of video footage showing the beginning of the incident and how the men became involved.

A video appearing to show a Greater Manchester Police (GMP) officer kicking and stamping on the head of Fahir Amaaz, 19, in the airport’s Terminal Two went viral in July.

Footage of Mr Amaaz and his brother Muhammad, 25, being restrained by officers prompted protests in Rochdale and Manchester.

A further video, obtained by the Manchester Evening News, was revealed days later, showing the immediate lead-up to the disturbance on July 23, when two female police officers were hit to the ground before Mr Amaaz was Tasered.

In the days after the incident, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) announced that a GMP constable was under criminal investigation for assault in connection with the arrests of the brothers. A second officer was placed under criminal investigation for assault in relation to the incident in August.

Reform MPs have said they will give the Crown Prosecution Service some time to consider prosecuting the men involved in the incident.

But if the CPS elects not to proceed with prosecutions, Reform said it plans to launch a private prosecution. The party will also launch a crowdfunder to help raise money to pay for the legal costs for the prosecution.

In the letter to Ms Cooper, the Reform MPs said: “This delay at and lack of support for serving officers is deeply damaging to the morale of all police officers, as well as impacting on their ability to do their job properly.

“If police officers are constantly working with the fear that their seniors and the IOPC will throw them under a bus at any moment, then they will not be able to protect the public in the full and fair way that we want.”

They claim the brothers were given “special, different treatment” and that the officers involved showed “great restraint” in not using their weapons, although Tasers were deployed.

Video showing the men attacking a female police officer at the airport was deliberately withheld by police, Richard Tice, the Reform deputy leader, has claimed.

At a press conference in London on Monday morning, he said: “We now understand from our sources that someone very senior in the Greater Manchester Police made the deliberate decision to withhold the full footage shortly after the incident. My question is: why was that footage withheld? If it had been released, we would not be where we are.”

Mr Tice went on to warn that if the CPS adopted Reform’s private prosecution and then discontinued it, it would be “completely unacceptable to millions of British people”.

The MP for Boston and Skegness also questioned why the IOPC’s investigation into the conduct of the officers was taking so long. “How long do you need? The footage is 29 seconds. The answer is not long,” he said.

The family of Mr Amaaz claimed that the incident began when Shameem Akhtar, their mother, was racially abused aboard a Qatar Airways flight that landed at the airport. Her two sons met her and saw the man who she claimed was abusing her.

In August, their solicitor said an “altercation” took place at a Starbucks cafe inside the airport terminal, but refused to give further details.

After the altercation, police came to the family as they were paying for parking before leaving. The family claimed police started the interaction by grabbing Mr Amaaz’s wrist and neck before hitting his head into the ticket machine.

At a press conference in August, the family also alleged that the police officer who appeared to stamp on Mr Amaaz’s head turned off his body camera before threatening to kill him. Mr Amaaz claimed that the officer called him “a dirty f---ing c---” before dragging him round a corner and kneeling on his neck.

GMP said: “We submitted a comprehensive file of evidence to the CPS in mid-August and await a charging decision. We are committed to getting the officers justice and have not provided ongoing commentary to ensure justice can be served.”

Meanwhile, Nigel Farage, the Reform UK leader, who opened the press conference, backtracked on his claim that he had been advised against hosting in-person surgeries because of security threats.

In September, the Clacton MP had told LBC the Speaker’s office advised him against doing “old-style” surgeries, but sources said parliamentary authorities had no recollection of giving any such instruction.

Asked who was right, Mr Farage said: “The Speaker’s office is always right.”