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The complex legal proceedings stemming from the volatile Manchester Airport altercation have entered a state of procedural limbo. A second jury has been formally discharged after failing to reach a verdict regarding allegations that two Rochdale brothers assaulted a Greater Manchester Police officer.
The development shifts all focus toward the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), which must determine whether a rare third trial serves the public interest.
The defendants, Mohammed Fahir Amaaz, 21, and Muhammad Amaad, 26, stood trial at Liverpool Crown Court accused of inflicting actual bodily harm during an encounter with PC Zachary Marsden on 23 July 2024. The incident occurred in the Terminal 2 car park pay station area. It followed an initial disturbance at a terminal coffee shop where police sought an individual matching Amaaz's description.
Legal representatives for the brothers argued that their actions constituted lawful self-defence, or the defence of one another, maintaining that they found themselves under sudden physical threat during the arrest attempt.
Despite being granted the authority to return a majority verdict, the panel of eight women and four men spent nearly 20 hours in intensive deliberation across a five-week trial before informing Judge Neil Flewitt KC of their absolute deadlock. The judge subsequently thanked the jurors for their extensive deliberations and dismissed them.
This latest outcome marks the second occasion on which a jury has reached an impasse on this specific charge. During the initial trial in July 2025, a separate jury deliberated for ten hours but remained equally divided regarding the allegations involving PC Marsden.
At that previous trial, however, the legal status of the younger brother changed significantly when Amaaz was convicted on alternative counts, including common assault against a member of the public and inflicting actual bodily harm on two female officers, PC Lydia Ward and PC Ellie Cook.
The prosecution continuously maintained that the brothers exerted a high level of violence when confronted by emergency workers. Conversely, the defence highlighted the rapidly escalating, chaotic nature of the physical struggle, presenting arguments regarding the perception of immediate force used against their family members, including injuries documented on the brothers' mother at the scene.
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Journalists present at the court confirmed that the case has now been formally adjourned until 29 May 2026. This window provides the CPS with the necessary timeframe to review the consecutive hung juries and announce whether they intend to request a third trial or drop the remaining charges against the brothers.
The outcome leaves the structural resolution of the broader incident unresolved. The highly publicised encounter, which originally drew intense national scrutiny and triggered an Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) investigation into the tactics deployed by responding officers, continues to challenge the judicial process in balancing public accountability with the complexities of emergency worker protections.
