A police officer who says he feared his Glock semi-automatic weapon would be snatched during an alleged assault at Manchester Airport has denied he kicked a prone suspect in the head because he was 'furious'.

PC Zachary Marsden said he was 'strangled' and suffered 10 to 15 blows to his head when he confronted two brothers at the Terminal 2 arrivals pay station car park on July 23 last year.

He defended his actions when he was cross-examined at Liverpool Crown Court, where Mohammed Fahir Amaaz, 20, and Muhammad Amaad, 26, both of Tarnside Close in Rochdale, deny assaulting armed cops and say they acted in self-defence.

Mohammed Fahir Amaaz was captured throwing 10 punches, two 'elbow strikes' and one kick while his brother, jurors have heard. The court has been told Muhammad Amaad, was seen throwing six punches during CCTV played to the jury. They say they acted in self-defence.

Footage shows the moment confrontation breaks out in Manchester Airport car park pay station area

Jurors have also seen footage of the armed police officers, PC Zachary Marsden, kicking Mr Amaaz in the face while he was on the ground after the suspect had been Tasered. Video then appears to show him to aim a stamp at his head.

Cross-examined by Mr Amaaz's KC Imran Khan as the trial resumed on Tuesday (July 8), PC Marsden agreed he made a decision to kick the suspect after he had been Tasered and was on the ground.

The KC said Mr Amaaz was on the floor and he asked the constable whether he was aware he was speaking to his mother. “Not speaking to his mother. A person, yes,” he said.

The KC suggested the person appeared to be caring for Mr Amaaz. PC Marsden said he ‘could not comment’ on what the woman was doing to Mr Amaaz. “It looks like she’s got her hands on his back,” he said.

Pressed further, the officer said he only had ‘three seconds’ to make a decision and that he saw the woman start to pull Mr Amaaz away from him.

“I wasn’t looking at the woman. I was looking at the threat,” he said. Asked by Mr Khan whether he was ‘making things up as you go along’, PC Marsden said: “I believe she’s pulling him away from me.”

Pressed further, the officer said: “I have not watched this footage. I choose not to because of the distress it brings me.”

PC Marsden said at the time he was ‘considering my options' including using pepper spray, his baton or whether to wait and see whether he would ‘attack me again’.

The officer said he also had the option of his firearm which he would produce of someone was ‘so dangerous’ but this could ‘possibly be fatal’.

PC Marsden said he did not wish Mr Amaaz to ‘come to such harm’. The officer said he recalled shouting at Mr Amaaz ‘multiple times’.

The PC also said he had the option of firing his Taser again, but that would have entailed him disconnecting the barbs he had already fired into Mr Amaad and then reloading the stun gun.

He added: “These are seconds I did not have unfortunately. This incident was fast and quick and not at a quarter speed. I had to act fast.”

The PC said he decided to kick Mr Amaaz to ‘disorient’ and to ‘stun’ him as all his other options were ‘exhausted’ including ‘doing nothing’.

“Are you telling the jury you thought of all those options within that second? When the safest option was to kick somebody in the head?” asked Mr Khan.

“Yes,” answered the officer. “It wasn’t the safest option was it?” pressed the KC and the officer replied: “That’s your opinion, not mine.”

The PC agreed with the KC a kick to the head could cause brain damage. When he said it could also kill someone, the PC said: “I would argue so would a gunshot.”

Pressed further, the officer said:”If delivered with such force, yes.”

“That’s the safest option for you is it? Is that right?” asked the KC. “Yes,” said the witness. “In the head?,” said the KC and PC Marsden said ‘yes’.

Mr Khan suggested to the officer he could have delivered the kick to the stomach, but PC Marsden said Mr Amaaz was lying face down. He suggested other parts of the body were available, but the officer said that was not an ‘option’.

Mr Khan suggested to the officer that he was ‘furious’ as he had been attacked but the PC said these were ‘your words, not mine’.

“You grabbed him round the neck because the red mist had fallen from your eyes,” said Mr Khan. “No,” answered the officer.

The KC suggested the kick had been ‘pretty harsh’ but the PC said ‘no it wasn’t’, adding it was just hard enough to ‘achieve the desired effect’ and ‘stun’ the suspect.

Mr Khan described it as ‘gratuitous’ and a ‘loss of control’.

“No it wasn’t,” replied the PC.

Mr Amaaz denies assaulting a member of the public, Abdulkareem Hamzah Abbas Ismaeil, by beating him on July 23, 2024, at Manchester Airport. He also denies a second charge that he assaulted PC Marsden causing actual bodily harm.

The defendant also denies a third charge alleging he assaulted PC Lydia Ward causing actual bodily harm. He also denies a fourth charge against him alleging he assaulted, by beating, an emergency worker, PC Ellie Cook.

Co-defendant Amaad, his brother, denies a single charge, namely that he also assaulted PC Marsden.