Manchester Airport trial: Police chief says officers 'are bloodied and bruised' after assaults

A police chef says officers are "bloodied and bruised" amid regular attacks as he praised the victims of the Manchester Airport assaults.

Mike Peake, chair of Greater Manchester Police Federation, said the public needed to get behind the police as, he claims, 35 officers in the county alone are assaulted every week. He spoke out following yesterday's conviction of Mohammed Fahir Amaaz, 20, who punched and kicked two female police officers at Manchester Airport in a prolonged and violent attack.

"Police officers in Manchester work in a difficult, dangerous, and dynamic world where there is no such thing as a routine incident. They deserve support in that work from the public and politicians. The distressing scenes we have seen during this trial show some of the worst side of police work that our officers are faced with. 35 officers are assaulted in Greater Manchester Police every week. We are bloodied and we are bruised," Mr Peake said yesterday.

It comes as airlines attempt to recover their flight operations after an air traffic control (ATC) fault caused major disruption yesterday. At Manchester Airport last July, Amaaz used a "high level of violence" as he brawled with PC Lydia Ward and PC Ellie Cook, and headbutted holidaymaker Abdulkareem Ismaeil.

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Speaking after the conviction at Liverpool Crown Court, Sir Stephen Watson, Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police, praised the officers for putting themselves in "harm's way" to tackle "outrageous criminal behaviour".

He added: "I am particularly grateful to those many members of the public who have contacted the force in order to pass on their best wishes to the officers affected."

He said the officers were "responding quickly to precisely the sort of outrageous criminal behaviour that rightly offends the public". "Whilst assaults on police officers are sadly not uncommon - 44 of my officers are assaulted every week across Greater Manchester - such attacks can never be justified," Sir Stephen said.

The case gained national attention after shocking footage of a policeman kicking a teenage suspect in the head as he lay prone on the ground was viewed millions of times. However, days later leaked CCTV of the moments before showed how Amaaz, of Rochdale, had fought and grappled with the officer and two female colleagues.

And Amaaz, a university student, was yesterday found guilty of common assault and two counts of actual bodily harm after a four-week trial. He will be sentenced at a later date.

Following the incident PC Zachary Marsden was suspended and investigated by police watchdog the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC). After a delay of 150 days the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) announced last December that he would not face any charges.

The jury had been shown graphic footage of red-headed PC Ward sobbing and bleeding after being caught by a left hook from Amaaz. The police officers had been attempting to arrest him for headbutting Mr Ismaeil moments earlier.