Two men have been charged with assaulting police after a disturbance at Manchester Airport, but no officers will face charges.
Footage of a fracas was shared online in July and prompted protests after it appeared to show a Greater Manchester Police (GMP) officer kicking and stamping on the head of a man as he lay on the floor.
The altercation, in the airport’s Terminal Two, allegedly happened after an earlier confrontation between passengers on a Qatar Airways flight which arrived at 7.20pm on July 23.
On Friday, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said Mohammed Fahir Amaaz, 20, of Rochdale, had been charged with two offences of causing actual bodily harm, one charge of assaulting an emergency worker and one charge of common assault, and Muhammed Amaad, 25, also from Rochdale, was charged with causing actual bodily harm.
The men will appear at Liverpool Magistrates’ Court on January 16.
Prosecutors said experts had concluded there was “no realistic prospect of conviction” of any police officers.
Brothers Amaaz and Amaad and their mother Shameem Akhtar, 56, alleged they were assaulted by police during the altercation, which took place near a car park pay point.
Lawyers for the family said the men maintain their innocence and will contest the allegations.
In a statement, solicitor Aamer Anwar said the family were shocked by the news no officers will be charged and they will be requesting a victim’s right of review of the CPS decision.
He said: “Our legal team will review the CPS decision, but believe they have fundamentally failed in the two-stage test which prosecutors must apply when deciding whether a case should result in proceedings before a court or not.
“The first stage is the ‘evidential stage’ and the second stage is the ‘public interest stage’.”
Protests were held in Manchester city centre and outside Rochdale police station in the days following the footage appearing online.
Calls for calm were made by the family involved and public figures including Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham.
Other footage, showing events leading up to the incident, was later published by the Manchester Evening News and appeared to show police officers being struck.
The family and their lawyer held press conferences to outline their version of events and met with the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) to discuss the investigation.
On Friday, GMP said the officer involved has had his suspension lifted.
The IOPC said its investigation into the use of force by police on six people was nearing completion.
“We examined potential offences of actual bodily harm, and common assault, and reviewed expert evidence in the form of an independent report from an expert in the use of police force, to inform this decision.
“We always ensure police training is also taken into account in the context of these decisions, and in this case the combination of evidence, and the expert opinion meant there was no realistic prospect of conviction.
“We acknowledge that in this case as in any other, the strength of feeling has been high.
“Our specially trained prosecutors are often at the forefront of dealing with high-profile cases subject to intense public and media scrutiny and will always make independent and objective decisions based on all available evidence.”
GMP Chief Constable Stephen Watson said he welcomed the decision not to take further action against officers.
He said: “I appreciate that a full and thorough independent investigation has led to this outcome.
“Following this decision, I have lifted the suspension of the officer involved.
“The IOPC’s misconduct investigation continues and we will continue to co-operate fully in this regard.”
The IOPC said two officers had been interviewed under criminal caution in relation to alleged assaults as part of its investigation and information had been shared with the CPS.
A spokesman said: “On Monday, we shared the final such piece of evidence with the CPS to consider potential charges.
“We will now work to conclude the few remaining lines of inquiry as quickly as possible.
“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.”
