Lawyer says Manchester police struck Pakistani grandmother with taser during airport incident

A 56-year-old British-Pakistani grandmother was struck in the face with a taser by a police officer at Manchester Airport moments after he kicked and attempted to stamp on her son as he lay motionless face-down, according to the family’s lawyer.

Protests erupted in Rochdale and Manchester city centre after a video circulated on social media showed the kicking incident during an arrest at the airport on July 23 of two British Pakistani brothers who were at the airport to receive their mother Shameem Akhtar, 56, returning from Pakistan. More footage emerged days later which showed the immediate lead-up to the disturbance at the airport’s Terminal 2 car park pay station area.

Male and female officers tried to restrain Fahir Amaaz, 19, and Muhammad Amaad, 25, who were involved in a series of strikes and punches — with two women officers hit to the ground — before Amaaz was tasered.

Akhtar, her sons, Amaaz and Amaad, appeared alongside their solicitor Aamer Anwar at a press conference in Manchester city centre to “set the record straight […] after a deliberate attempt to smear the family”.

Anwar said the family from Rochdale, Greater Manchester, had been left “devastated and traumatised” by the incident and had also been subjected to “horrific, racist and Islamophobic abuse on social media”.

The lawyer added: “The family wish to put on record that if the two young men sat next to me, and seen on video […] stand accused of criminality, their family fully support that they must face robust, due legal process.

“The young men sat next to me do not have a single criminal conviction, not even a speeding ticket. In fact, members of the family are serving police officers with Greater Manchester Police (GMP) and other members of the family in other areas of the country. And Amaad himself has undergone an interview process to join the GMP.”

At the press conference, photographs were distributed which showed bruising to the left side of Akhtar’s face — said to have been sustained in what the family described as the “pandemonium” that broke out at the pay station. Akhtar attempted to pull her son’s head away after the apparent stamping and thought the officer “could have killed her son at that point”, said Anwar.

He added: “The male, it is alleged, as seen in the video, then kneels down on Amaaz placing his knee on his back whilst he is still limp and he then looks up straight at Akhtar. At this point, the male officer still has his taser drawn, then using his right hand in which he has his taser it is alleged he strikes Akhtar directly in the face using his taser as a weapon. At this point Akhtar screamed and held her face as she was terrified that she would now be subjected to the same violence as she alleges her sons were.”

He said Akhtar later touched her face and noticed she was bleeding from her cheek underneath her left eye and that she was “dazed, crying and disorientated”.

Anwar said no officer attended to her injuries as she and her crying, “distressed”, six-year-old grandson were left with luggage strewn everywhere. He said she was finally helped by a passer-by and taken home.

A police officer was suspended by GMP in the wake of the incident and the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) later said a police constable, understood to be the same officer, was under criminal investigation for assault.

Following the release of the later footage, the Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, urged people to “take a step back” and allow the authorities to carry out their investigations.

Amaaz and Amaad were among four men who were arrested on suspicion of affray and assault before they were later bailed.

Anwar said he is seeking a further meeting with IOPC regional director Catherine Bates over lodging a formal complaint against GMP officers, and also a meeting with the mayor.

The solicitor added: “The family also wish to state that they know more than many other families that the police play a crucial role in our society and police with the consent of the people and that it is precisely why when they get it so badly wrong that they must be held to account.

“Equally when they get it right the police should be praised and the family wish to place on record their thanks to the police who for days have had to face right-wing racist thugs causing violent disorder and spreading fear across England.”

But Anwar added: “In our democracy, we have the right to expect that those in uniform will not act as thugs and will act within the law and that any force used must be reasonable, legitimate and proportionate.”

Outlining what he said “sparked” the incident, Anwar said Akhtar was earlier subjected to a “tirade of alleged racist abuse” from a fellow passenger, a male Kuwaiti national, on a Qatar Airways flight as she returned from a holiday in Pakistan.

He said: “She was feeling unwell on the plane and as a result used the empty seat next to her to be able to sit more comfortable. Shortly after making use of the seat, she could hear a male muttering in the row behind her. At first, she paid no attention but then the male went out of his way over the course of the next several hours to subject her to a tirade of alleged racist abuse.

“He repeatedly called her a “b***h” and referring to her as a “P*** b***h”. Akhtar for several hours of the flight was scared the male was going to become physical and assault her. Despite her appeals to the cabin crew they did nothing to intervene.

“She appealed to the male to calm down but he refused to listen despite telling him she was unwell. He was towering over her and hurling abuse. It was a mixture of abuse in English and Arabic.

“The male’s wife intervened and told him to stop and asked him to sit down; however, the male continued and his children were ridiculing Akhtar.”

She claimed the male later used his hand luggage to repeatedly bump into her as she headed towards the baggage claim area.

 Akhtar saw her two sons and grandchild when she exited arrivals and “broke down into tears”, said Anwar, and recounted her ordeal.

She later noticed the male passenger as they walked past Terminal 2’s Starbucks cafe.

Anwar said: “Both her sons approached the male and questioned him regarding the abuse. The male was rude and proceeded to laugh in her sons’ faces. An altercation then took place.”

The family then headed towards the car park area.

Anwar said he had previously raised concerns at GMP’s “failure” to investigate an alleged hate crime against Akhtar.

Anwar went on: “GMP confirmed a few days ago that following investigation they believed there was insufficient evidence for a realistic prospect of conviction. The individual who was a Kuwaiti national will be allowed to return home today. Akhtar feels betrayed and once again let down by the failure of GMP to act.”

GMP has appealed for any witnesses to the altercation on Qatar Airways flight QR023, which arrived at 7:20pm, the second “violent” altercation at Starbucks at 8:22pm and the incident at the car park pay point area at 8:28pm.

In a statement, GMP said: “Investigations into incidents that occurred at Manchester Airport on July 23 are ongoing.

“We are fully co-operating with the independent investigation reviewing police conduct, whilst actively pursuing lines of inquiry into three incidents.

“We have obtained all relevant CCTV footage and are continuing to appeal for witnesses.