The policeman brother of the siblings caught on camera battling officers at Manchester Airport faces the sack for comparing a black female colleague’s braided hair to a mop.
PC Mohammed Abid is one of eight current or former officers based at Bury police station accused of mocking the policewoman’s appearance or how she spoke.
Today a disciplinary panel was told the 29-year-old should be sacked after it ruled that describing her hair as ‘looking like a mop’ had been a ‘racist comment’.
Fellow PCs could also face the sack for regularly ‘mimicking’ the colleague’s African accent, leaving her feeling ‘uncomfortable’.
In July 2024, there was widespread outrage when Mohammed Fahir Amaaz, then 19, was seen being kicked in the face by a police officer in mobile phone footage which went viral.
However, CCTV footage later revealed that he and another brother, Muhammad Amaad, had violently resisted efforts to arrest Amaaz for headbutting of a tourist at Manchester Airport.
After a case which sparked accusations of police racism and claims of two-tier justice, Amaaz was jailed for assaulting two female officers.
But two juries failed to reach verdicts on whether he or Amaad had assaulted a male colleague.
PC Mohammed Abid and other constables used discriminatory language or behaviour towards black colleague PC Y at Bury police station (pictured) in Greater Manchester
Muhammad Amaad, 26, (left) and his brother Mohammed Fahir Amaaz, 21, (right) arriving for their trial at Liverpool Crown Court either side of their solicitor, Aamer Anwar
Lawyers for the men repeatedly highlighted how neither brother – both from Rochdale – had been in trouble with the police before, and six members of the family are current or former officers with Greater Manchester Police.
Both trials heard a glowing character reference from PC Abid, who praised Amaaz’s ‘respectful, gentle and soft-spoken nature’ and ‘dedication to academic roles’.
But jurors were not told that he faced disciplinary proceedings over the racism allegation.
A misconduct hearing heard last month how constables based at Bury police station imitated a female colleague’s accent.
The policewoman, originally from Africa, has been granted anonymity and is referred to as PC Y.
PC Abid was said to have spoken to PC Y – who at the time wore her hair in braids – and describing it as ‘looking like a mop’ before ‘smiling and walking away’.
Under cross-examination, PC Y told the hearing: ‘He did ask about the hair, the braids, how long it took.
‘He then said “It looks like a mop”, laughed and walked off.’
He denied making the comment but the panel today praised her ‘consistent’ account.
Chairman Jonathan Roy said the braided style was ‘culturally significant’ to PC Y as a black woman, finding that PC Abid had made the ‘racist comment’.
This was a breach of professional standards in relation to equality and diversity which amounted to gross misconduct, it ruled.
PC Abid was also found to have breached standards of professional behaviour in relation to authority, respect and courtesy, and discreditable conduct.
Separately, constables on PC Y’s team were accused of ‘mimicking’ her African accent for months until she made a formal complaint in November 2023.
They allegedly copied how she said words like ‘hello’ and impersonated her ‘deep laugh’, causing her to feel ‘uncomfortable’, ‘nervous’ and ‘anxious’.
Giving evidence, the constables insisted they had only copied how she said ‘ok’ and that this was part of a ‘shared joke’ in which they all made fun of one another’s accents.
But the panel rejected their denials, pointing out that officers who weren’t part of the same team had mentioned hearing them putting on African accents.
‘The panel did not accept the mimicking of PC Y’s accent was part of friendly office banter,’ Mr Roy said.
‘It was much more serious than that.’
Five serving officers, PCs Heena Rani, Lucy Granby, Demi Green, Matthew Barlow and Matthew Hill, as well as former PC Jake Holt and a former officer referred to only as A, were all found to have breached standards of professional behaviour in relation to authority, respect and courtesy, discreditable conduct, equality and diversity and failure to report or challenge.
In each case their behaviour amounted to gross misconduct.
A further officer, Sergeant Adrian Bick, who supervised the team, was cleared of breaching standards on equality and diversity
Out of PC Y’s earshot, he had pointed out a photograph of a black fraud suspect and said she could be her mother.
PC Green then repeated the comment to PC Y, the hearing was told.
The panel said the comment was ‘thoughtless and insensitive’ but accepted that Sergeant Bick hadn’t intended to make a racist comment.
It found that he had breached professional standards of authority, respect and courtesy and discreditable conduct and ruled his case amounted to misconduct.
Neither Sergeant Bick nor PC Abid was accused of mocking PC Y’s accent.
Turning to the action the nine will now face, Mr Reed argued that all the serving officers should be sacked, apart from Sergeant Bick, who should receive a written warning.
He said PC Abid’s behaviour was ‘aggravated’ by his understanding of the ‘cultural significance’ of PC Y’s hairstyle.
While the comment was a ‘single incident’, there was ‘no acceptable level of racism’ in the police, ‘especially when it arises from such calculated behaviour,’ he added.
However PC Abid’s barrister, Peter Byrne, argued that while he had shown ‘poor judgement’ he hadn’t ‘targeted’ PC Y on the grounds of ethnicity.
Along with lawyers representing the serving officers found to have mimicked PC Y’s accent, he submitted that PC Abid should instead receive a final written warning.
The panel is due to reconvene to announce what action the officers and former officers will face on Wednesday.

You must be logged in to post a comment Login