Man gets 3.5-year term for assaulting police at airport

A man who attacked two female police officers at Manchester Airport in 2024 was sentenced to three and a half years in prison on June 26, 2026. Mohammed Fahir Amaaz, 21, was convicted of assaulting PC Lydia Ward, occasioning her actual bodily harm, and assaulting emergency worker PC Ellie Cook.

Amaaz received his sentence at Liverpool Crown Court. The judge heard powerful victim impact statements from both officers, who detailed the severe physical and psychological toll of the attack. Sergeant Ward, who was promoted following the incident, addressed Amaaz directly in court. She described how he broke her nose with a single punch, permanently altering her face, and condemned his actions as cowardly. She expressed anger that he had portrayed himself as a victim after initial, partial footage of the altercation circulated online, while she was the one who was injured. Ward also stated that she had to bring her newborn baby to court when she gave evidence, calling the situation inappropriate.

PC Cook told the court the attack had forced her to abandon her career as a firearms officer and put her dream of becoming a close protection officer on hold. She described the profound...