Mohammed Fahir Amaaz used Pc Lydia Ward ‘as a punch bag’ in the brutal assault

A man who punched a female police officer 10 times in a brawl at an airport has now been jailed.

Mohammed Fahir Amaaz, 21, was found guilty of attacking armed police officer PC Ellie Cook and an unarmed officer PC Lydia Ward with his brother at Manchester Airport, on July 23, 2024.

The judge jailed Amaaz for three years and six months in court today. She showed no emotion as he learned his fate, reports the MEN.

The three Greater Manchester Police officers entered the Terminal 2 car park paystation area after reports that a male fitting Amaaz’s description had headbutted a member of the public at a Starbucks cafe in the airport minutes earlier.

The Crown said Amaaz resisted their attempts to take him outside and Amaad then intervened as both allegedly used a “high level of violence”.

Amaaz said he feared for his life as he said Pc Marsden pushed his head towards the ground with a hand over his neck.

Widely shared mobile phone footage of the incident sparked protests as it showed a young Asian male kicked in the face on the floor by a male police officer who then appeared to stamp towards his head.

Days later, a CCTV clip leaked to the media revealed that beforehand a number of punches were thrown towards the male firearms officer and his two female colleagues.

Reading a statement during his sentencing hearing at Liverpool Crown Court on Friday (June 26), Sgt Ward said: “I look at myself now and I can see the difference in my face compared to how it was before this happened.

“You did that to me. You changed my face. This is something that really upsets me. Again, I’ll ask you; did I deserve this?

“What was it that I did that was so wrong you felt you needed to attack me?

“For a long time, I felt like everyone was looking at me. I was conscious of all the bruising on my face.

“Did people recognise me from the footage or were they thinking my partner had beaten me up? It was a horrible place to be in and for what?

“For doing my job. I had to stay off work for a month, a job that I loved.

“I was supposed to go on a holiday with my sister and friend the week after it happened, but we had to cancel. It was something I had been looking forward to for ages. You took that away from me.

“Since returning to work I am on high alert. Will something like this happen again? I get worried when I walk anywhere on my own.

“The saddest part is my distrust in men which has been caused by your actions. I know I shouldn’t feel like this, but I physically can’t help it. I’m scared.

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“I fear for the women in your life. If you can do that to a female police officer, what are you capable of to the women you know?

“I want you to know I am not weak. No matter how this has affected me or impacted on my life I will not allow you to see me as weak.

“You used me as a punch bag, but I will get back up and I will show you how strong I am. You deserve no more of my time.”

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Pc Cook told the judge in her statement that she’s decided to ‘give up being a firearms officer’ following the incident at the airport.

Her statement to the court read: “I don’t understand why you chose to do that. What did you get out of it apart from hurting us further? Do you even know?

“I’m so lucky to have the support of my family around me; my mum, dad and brother, but this has had such a detrimental effect on their lives, especially my mum. It pains me to see what she went through.

“She lost weight, she wasn’t sleeping, she was petrified someone would turn up at the address.

“She was a nervous wreck. I feel guilty that she felt that way, but it was you who did that to her, not me. You put us all in danger. It pains me to say this, but because of what you have done to me I have decided to give up being a firearms officer.

“I just can’t face it at the minute.

“This means my dream of becoming a close protection officer is on hold, and I may have to come to terms with the fact that it may not happen.

“I’m not sure I’ll ever be in the right space to return to firearms; despite the lengths I went to pass the training and the love I had for the role.

“You have ripped that from me. I hope the words I have read today stay with you for the rest of your life. I hope you have flashbacks of what I am saying the way I have flash backs of that day.

“I hope you never forget, because I know I won’t.”

Amaaz and his brother Muhammad Amaad, 26, both of Rochdale, Greater Manchester, were charged with assaulting Pc Zachary Marsden during the incident but juries at two trials failed to reach a verdict on the count.

Last month, a decision was made by the Crown Prosecution Service not to pursue a third trial.

The men claimed they acted in lawful self-defence, or defence of each other.

Nicholas Rossi, the American rapist who faked his death and fled to Scotland in a bid to escape justice, has died in a US hospital.

The Utah Department of Corrections (UDC) said the 38-year-old had been suffering from “chronic, degenerative conditions”.

It said Rossi died in a local hospital on Thursday after “he chose to remove himself from the care that was being provided”.

Rossi was found guilty of raping two women in Utah in 2008 after two separate trials in 2024.

A UDC spokesman said: “Rossi was pronounced dead at a local hospital on Thursday, June 25, 2026, at 20:32.

“Rossi died from complications of an existing medical condition after choosing to discontinue medical treatment.

“This notification follows communication with Rossi’s family and his victims.”

A man who punched two female police officers at Manchester Airport as they tried to arrest him for headbutting a man in a Starbucks cafe has been jailed for three and a half years.

Mohammed Fahir Amaaz, 21, from Rochdale, was convicted at Liverpool Crown Court last year of assaulting PC Lydia Ward, PC Ellie Cook and a Starbucks customer at the airport in July 2024.

Sentencing had been delayed for a re-trial on additional charges that Amaaz had also assaulted a male police officer, but the jury again failed to reach a decision and he was cleared.

In a statement read to the court earlier Ward, whose nose was broken in the attack, said: “What you did was cowardly.”

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WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court is handing down major opinions at a rapid clip, but even with some of the biggest decisions yet to come there are signs of tension between the justices.

One highly unusual exchange for the restrained and traditional atmosphere came Thursday, as the members of the nation’s highest court took the bench as usual to read a short summary of their decisions. Those rulings included two major immigration wins for President Donald Trump.

After conservative Justice Samuel Alito finished his reading of the majority’s ruling limiting how people can seek asylum at the southern border, liberal Sonia Sotomayor spoke up to read from her scorching dissent.

She traced the difficult journey many asylum seekers face and outlined a painful chapter in the country’s history: When the U.S. and other countries turned back a ship full of Jewish refugees attempting to flee persecution in Nazi Germany in 1939. About 250 of those passengers later died in the Holocaust.

Sotomayor said the majority’s opinion would allow the Trump administration to block people from applying for asylum at the border, which would result in more deaths. The decision “regrettably and tragically extinguishes the light of the torch of the Statue of Liberty.”

Justice Brett Kavanaugh watched her intently as she spoke, while Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson looked straight ahead.

Majority opinions are always read from the bench and dissenters can speak up as well to underscore their objections, which typically happens in few cases every term. More rulings are expected on Monday.

Sotomayor’s spoken dissent, however, appeared to be a surprise for Alito. In a very rare move, he spoke off the cuff. He sounded annoyed, saying he did not know she was going to be speaking and would have added more detail to his summary if he’d been aware.

For the conservative majority, the case was about whether border officials can delay asylum seekers’ entry into the U.S. “until they can be processed in a safe and orderly way.”

Out loud, Alito defended his opinion by noting that the policy at the center of the case had been used under both the Obama and Trump administrations. “I won’t add anything more to that,” he said.

The exchange comes as the court prepares to release opinions next week on some of the biggest issues of the term, and Trump’s presidency so far. Those include his push to restrict birthright citizenship and expand the president’s power to fire board members at independent agencies.

It isn’t the first time unusual tensions have surfaced this term. Sotomayor issued a rare public apology in April to another justice, Brett Kavanaugh, for what she termed “hurtful comments.” She had said during a law school talk that a colleague “probably doesn’t really know any person who works by the hour.”

In another public appearance in March, Kavanaugh and Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson sparred over the many emergency orders the court had issued allowing Trump to move ahead with key parts of his agenda.

Vanessa Stoltz, restaurant manager and head sommelier at Pine in Northumberland, has been ranked 22nd in the fourth edition of the Taylor’s Port UK Top 100 Sommeliers List, climbing from 26th the previous year.

The latest edition marks her third consecutive year on the list.

Ms Stoltz said: “To maintain your place in a list like this requires constant learning, keeping pace not just with wine, but across the full spectrum of drinks service, from beer and spirits to sake and no- and low-alcohol alternatives.

“It demands real passion and dedication, and I think people don’t always appreciate the effort that goes into it.

“That’s why recognition like this means so much.

“I’m proud to fly the flag for the Northeast and delighted that the Top 100 continues to shine a light on the role sommeliers play in delivering truly exceptional guest experiences.”

The Taylor’s Port UK Top 100 Sommeliers List was announced on Monday, June 22, at The Dorchester in London and recognises excellence in wine service across the UK.

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Nominees are put forward by industry peers, fellow sommeliers, and diners, before being rigorously assessed by an expert panel that evaluates career achievements, education, experience, daily responsibilities, and competition performance.

Sian Byerley, operations director and co-owner of Pine, praised Ms Stoltz’s dedication, adding: “We couldn’t be prouder of Vanessa.

“To feature in the Top 100 for a third consecutive year and to have climbed from 45 on debut to 22 today is a remarkable journey, and one that reflects her thirst for knowledge and her unwavering commitment to her guests.”

Police, emergency services, and council workers were called to the old railway bridge in Huntington Road today (June 26) after a lorry became stuck.

The incident is thought to have happened at around 11.05am and the road was open to traffic until around midday, before shutting between The Brigadier Gérard pub in Monkgate to Fossway.

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The lorry was towed out from under the bridge at around 2.35pm after around three and a half hours.

One eyewitness, Chris Timms of Huntington Road, said that as a wagon driver. he was concerned about the lack of signage close to the bridge in Huntington Road.

The road is currently closed (Image: Chris Timms)

He said: “There are only one or two small signs facing away from town – easily missed when you are trying to navigate the parked cars and the oncoming traffic, including single deck buses.

“There is enough room to stop before and reverse into Ramsay Close and turn around, so I think the lorry must have seen the sign and thought he had room.

A van has become stuck under a bridge in York (Image: Josh Allenby)

“The trailer is a quarter of the way under and the tractor unit had been lifted and twisted to its left side – showing how much force there was and potentially how quick the full lorry was travelling.”

Chris added that his children – Immogen and Daniel, who were at the scene – were shocked to see the lorry and that they said they were concerned about how badly things could have gone if a person was using the pavement at the time.

The violence broke out near Melksham Square, Midfield View, and Elm Tree Avenue around 7.45pm on Thursday, June 25.

A blue VW Polo is believed to have been in the area and crashed near The Avenue on Bishopton Road West at the time.

Two women and four men reportedly got out of the vehicle and fled the area.

Cleveland Police is appealing for witnesses and footage of the incident.

Anyone with information or dash cam footage is asked to call 101 quoting reference number 123557.

An intense heatwave in France sees temperatures reach up to 33C

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Tragedy struck in France after an 18-month-old baby was ‘forgotten’ in a hot car. It is the fourth child death in France following an intense heatwave.

The child died at La Timone Hospital in Marseille on Tuesday (June 23) as firefighters discovered him in the parking lot of Aix-Marseille University medical campus. DailyStar reports the baby was found unconscious and suffering from hyperthermia.

The child was taken to the emergency room at La Timone hospital in critical condition but medical staff were unable to save his life. According to reports by French publication BFM, the one of the child’s parents apparently forgot him in his car.

The parent reportedly works at the campus. Éric Berton, President of Aix-Marseille University, has spoken out about the tragedy on campus with “deep sadness”.

Éric Berton, President of Aix-Marseille University, said: “It is with deep sadness that we learned of the tragic news that occurred on the Timone campus. We extend our sincerest condolences to the family and loved ones of the victim.

“We also express our support to all those who witnessed or were affected by this tragic event.”

The incident is the fourth child death in three incidents across France this week. Two kids were found dead in a hot car after their mum reportedly “forgot”.

The children were discovered in the family vehicle, parked in the garage of a detached house in the Bois de l’Ubac area of Carpentras, France. Despite efforts to resuscitate them by emergency services, both children sadly passed away. A manslaughter investigation has since been launched.

A police source informed Le Parisien that the mother claimed to have “forgotten her children” while out shopping. A manslaughter investigation has been launched.

The other incident saw a boy, three, found dead by his parents on Wednesday (June 24) evening in Saint-Gratien, Val-d’Oise, as calls were made to emergency services at around 7pm..

The child was discovered in cardiac arrest in the family vehicle after the boy had told his parents he was going for a nap in his room.

It is believed the parents both thought he had been in his room before they frantically realised he was not there. Around 45 minutes later, he was found in the boiling car.

His mother reportedly let out a scream when he was found that caused a passing bus driver to stop his vehicle and come to try save the boy by performing CPR. He continued till emergency services arrived.

It is currently unknown as to how and why the boy had gotten in the car as police are now investigating.

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TAIPEI (AP) — A small aircraft crashed into Beijing’s tallest building on Friday, according to a witness account and media reports, triggering evacuations and drawing a large police and ambulance presence in the city’s business district.

Photos show what appeared to be a hole in the glass facade on one side of the CITIC Tower, also known as China Zun.

A person working in the building told The Associated Press an aircraft crashed into the skyscraper, and a fire alarm was triggered. The person spoke on condition of anonymity out of fear of retaliation. Incidents such as crashes are considered sensitive by Chinese authorities.

Images and videos shared on social media appeared to show debris from a small aircraft near the skyscraper. While the images were consistent with the location, it was not possible to independently confirm their authenticity and they were quickly removed from the internet.

Hong Kong-based newspaper South China Morning Post reported that a small airplane crashed into the tower, which stands at 528 meters (1,732 feet.)

Heavy police presence, as well as fire engines and ambulances were seen outside the building. Onlookers gathered to observe and take pictures, but police asked them to stop photographing and leave the area.

The cause of the crash was not immediately clear, and authorities have not issued a statement.

The 108-story CITIC tower, shaped like an ancient Chinese wine vessel, is one of the most recognizable skyscrapers in Beijing.

Last month Beijing authorities enacted new curbs on its already tightly regulated airspace, effectively banning the sale and operation of consumer drones within the capital.