A police officer who allegedly kicked a suspect in the head, stomach and groin while he was on the ground is an ‘uncontrolled bully with a badge’, a court has heard.
PC Zachary Marsden was involved in a violent clash with brothers Mohammed Fahir Amaaz, 20, and Muhammad Amaad, 26, at Manchester Airport in July last year.
Footage which appeared to show him stamping on Amaaz’s head went viral after being shared on social media.
The brothers, from Rochdale, are currently on trial for assaulting PC Marsden, but deny the charge and insist they were acting in self-defence and defence of each other.
Amaaz also accused of attacking two female colleagues involved in the fracas and a member of the public in an earlier altercation.
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Police were called to the airport following a report of a man, Abdulkareem Ismaeil, being headbutted in the Starbucks cafe in the Terminal 2 arrivals lounge.
The court heard PC Marsdsen, arriving with PC Ellie Cook and PC Lydia Ward, grabbed Amaaz from behind at a car park paystation in the lounge.
Chloe Gardner, defending Amaad, told jurors on Friday: ‘We see PC Marsden stride up to his brother’s left side and grab first his arm and then his head and neck.
‘Nothing is said by any of the officers. No announcement of any sort. No-one says they are police officers. That’s crucial.
“Pc Marsden used unnecessary violence. His behaviour is indicative of how he behaves in general, certainly that day. Aggressive and uncontrolled.’
Amaaz was previously accused of beginning to resist immediately, before his brother intervened and both alledgedly inflicted a ‘high level of violence’ on the officers.
But Ms Gardner said Amaad attempted to de-escalate, referring to footage in which he’s heard to say ‘easy, easy, easy… no, no, no’.
She said is words had ‘zero effect on PC Marsden’ who was ‘pretty much covered in red mist’.
Ms Gardner went on: “We say that from the outset, Pc Marsden had no regard for procedure and acted how he wanted. His way was the only way.
“Mr Amaad told you his intention was solely to get Pc Marsden’s hands off his brother. Mr Amaad was clear that at no point did he try to grab Pc Marsden’s throat.”
She said PC Marsden lied in statements about his interactions with Amaad, adding: ‘We say it is critical when you consider Pc Marsden’s credibility.
‘He has come into this courtroom and he has lied to you.’
Amaad did ‘no more than was necessary’ to defend his brother and then himself as he believed he was ‘under attack’, she continued..
Taser strikes were fired at both brothers, the court has heard, and their mother, Shameem Akhtar, was injured in the melee.
The defendants say PC Marsden tasered Ms Akhtar in the face, while the officer claimed Amaad accidentally elbowed her.
After the apparent head-stamping shown in the viral clip, Ms Gardner said, PC Marsden went on to kick Amaad in the stomach and the groin and ‘smack him in the head’ with his Taser.
She said: ‘Even when he has both brothers immobile and the mother has been hit in the face and is bleeding, he continues to assault Mr Amaad.
‘He is an uncontrolled bully with a badge. He defied protocol, ethics, procedure and law.’
The trial continues on Monday, when jurors are expected to be sent out of court to deliberate.
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