The family of the men involved in an incident at Manchester Airport where an officer stamped on a man’s head has contacted the police watchdog to file a complaint, their lawyer has said.
Greater Manchester Police was plunged into crisis last week after footage emerged of a police officer kicking Muhammed Fahir, 19, while he was arrested alongside his brother Amaad, 25.
However, CCTV released after the initial video showed Fahir attacking three officers just seconds before he was kicked on the ground.
Now a solicitor representing the family has said they have spoken to the IOPC with ‘regards to lodging a formal complaint against officers’.
A Greater Manchester Police constable was advised he is under criminal investigation for assault over the incident, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said last week.
Scottish human rights lawyer Aamer Anwar (pictured) is representing the brothers arrested at Manchester Airport
Footage of a police officer kicking Muhammed Fahir, 19, while he was arrested alongside his brother Amaad
Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham urged people to ‘take a step back’ and allow the authorities to carry out their investigations after the new footage was released.
Fahir, Muhammad and their mother Shameem Akhtar, 56, said they wanted to understand ‘on what legal basis’ Mr Burnham was shown complete CCTV of the incident ‘and by whom’.
Through their solicitor, Aamer Anwar, a high-profile Scottish human rights lawyer, they said the family and its legal representatives should have been ‘provided with an opportunity to view footage before any politician’.
They added that leaked footage ‘does not show exactly what the police did’ and criticised ‘attempts by so-called ‘police sources’ to spin a false narrative or partial context’.
Mr Anwar said if family members had engaged in criminality, ‘then they must be subjected to due process’.
He added that there could ‘never be any legal justification’ for the ‘use of excessive, disproportionate and potentially lethal force against a civilian who is incapacitated and poses no threat’.
In a statement issued on Thursday, Mr Anwar said: ‘I have now spoken to the IOPC with regards to lodging a formal complaint against officers from Greater Manchester Police.’
The family’s solicitor added: ‘We also seek to understand on what legal basis Andy Burnham was shown the complete CCTV and by whom.
‘The repeated attempts by so-called ‘police sources’ to spin a false narrative or partial context is deeply unhelpful to an IOPC investigation.
Controversial ‘ TikTok lawyer’ Akhmed Yakoob (pictured) is no longer representing the two brothers
‘Leaked footage does not show exactly what the police did, how the incident unfolded, nor the full conduct of officers in the aftermath of the incident in all parts of the airport, including after the arrests.
‘As for leaking of CCTV, we understand that will also form part of their investigation, but whilst it may be blatantly obvious who would benefit from such a cynical and partial leak, proving who the individual or ‘institution’ is likely to be impossible.’
Mr Anwar added that the family expected all material relating to the incident and cameras of the aftermath to be retained, ‘especially those where the detainees were taken to in other areas of the airport’.
The two brothers were initially being represented by controversial ‘TikTok lawyer’ Akhmed Yakoob but cut ties with him earlier this week.
Mr Anwar said it was ‘the family’s choice to withdraw their instruction’ but declined to give a reason why.
In response, the family’s solicitor Mr Yakoob released a video on Instagram on Sunday, declaring: ‘After consulting with the family I have decided for now to step aside and I have recommended the family to a lawyer’.
The video appeared to show a group of people standing by ticket machines in terminal two and a man in a light blue outfit facing one of the machines.
Male and female officers appeared to attempt to restrain two men who were involved in a series of strikes and punches before one man was tasered.
An officer and a man in blue appear to grapple until the latter lies still on the ground, face-down, and a woman kneels by his side.
New footage shows the moments before a Greater Manchester Police officer was filmed kicking a teenager in the head at Manchester Airport
The new footage shows Fahir seemingly hitting a female police officer with a punch to her head
The police officers attempt to bring the men under control after the scene descended into chaos
The officer then appears to kick and then stamp on his head, which was shown in the footage already widely circulated.
The family and their solicitor will attend a press conference in Manchester on August 6.
Mr Anwar has previously represented for other high profile cases, including for the family of ‘Scotland’s George Floyd’ Sheku Bayoh, who died in police custody.
Mr Bayoh, 31, stopped breathing in May 2015 after he was cuffed by officers responding to a call in Kirkcaldy, Fife.
During an inquiry into his death, Mr Anwar challenged the police officers involved to give a full testimony if they had nothing to hide.
The top lawyer has also represented the family of Emma Caldwell, whose killer Iain Packer walked free for 19 years despite officers being repeatedly told he ‘is the man’.
Mr Anwar said some officers at Police Scotland had ‘betrayed justice’, Emma, and the other women who were also Packer’s victims.
Mr Anwar also represented the Scottish Covid Bereaved group, who demanded answers as to why Nicola Sturgeon failed to produce any pandemic diaries for the UK Covid-19 Inquiry.
