The siblings’ police officer brother was caught on camera fighting with officers Manchester Airport described a black female colleague’s braided hair as ‘looking like a mop’, a misconduct hearing heard today.
PC Mohammed Abid is one of seven current and two former officers facing disciplinary proceedings over allegations of racist language.
It comes after a policewoman claimed colleagues at Bury police station regularly ‘imitated’ her African accent, leaving her feeling ‘anxious’ and ‘nervous’.
In July 2024, there was widespread outrage when PC Abid’s younger brother Mohammed Fahir Amaaz, then 19, was kicked in the face by a police officer in mobile phone footage that went viral.
However, CCTV footage later showed that he and another brother, Muhammad Amaad, were violent resisted attempts to arrest Amaaz for headbutting a tourist at Manchester Airport.
After a case that sparked accusations of police racism and claims of bipartisan justice, Amaaz was jailed for assaulting two female officers.
But two juries failed to reach a verdict on whether he or Amaad had assaulted a male colleague.
Lawyers for the men repeatedly stressed that neither brother – both from Rochdale – had had previous brushes with police, and that six members of the family are current or former officers with Greater Manchester Police.
Muhammad Amaad, 26, (left) and his brother Mohammed Fahir Amaaz, 21, (right) arrive for their trial at Liverpool Crown Court, either side of their lawyer, Aamer Anwar
PC Mohammed Abid and other officers are alleged to have used racist language against black colleague PC Y at Bury police station (pictured) in Greater Manchester
The heavyset Amaad, a former assistant manager at KFC, had unsuccessfully applied to join the force twice, including a role as a 999 dispatcher just three months before the airport incident.
At both trials we heard a glowing character reference from PC Abid, who praised his brother Amaaz’s ‘respectful, gentle and gentle nature’ and ‘commitment to academic roles’.
“He always looked up to me as a role model,” he added.
But jurors were not told that PC Abid was facing disciplinary proceedings over the racism allegation.
After the Manchester Airport case was concluded, the lawyer representing the brothers attended their trials claimed PC Abid’s identity was leaked as part of a ‘desperate’ attempt to ‘smear’ his clients.
“Unfortunately, it comes as no surprise that Greater Manchester Police are now turning their attention to my client’s brother,” Aamer Anwar said.
A misconduct hearing today heard how officers from Bury police station imitated the accent of a female officer, originally from Africa, who has been granted anonymity and is referred to as PC Y.
PC Abid is said to have spoken to PC Y – who wore her hair in braids at the time – and described it as ‘looking like a mop’ before he ‘smiled and walked away’.
CCTV footage of the trial at Manchester Airport shows Amaaz (in blue) throwing ten punches at officers during the violence, while his brother – Muhammad Amaad (far left), 26 – threw six.
Mohammed Fahir Amaaz (pictured arriving at court in 2025) was later jailed for three and a half years over the violence at Manchester airport
“PC Y believed that the way she styled her hair was common among black ladies and that PC Abid made this comment because she is a black woman,” Steve Reed, counsel for Greater Manchester Police, told the hearing.
PC Abid claims her story is false, the hearing was told. He is not accused of imitating her accent.
On another occasion, Sergeant Adrian Bick, out of her earshot, pointed to a photo of a black fraud suspect and said she could be Officer Y’s mother.
PC Demi Green then repeated the comment to Officer Y, the hearing was told.
Officer Y believed that the comment stemmed “at least in part” from her and the suspect’s “shared skin color.”
Other officers on the team are accused of ‘imitating’ Officer Y’s African accent, copying how she pronounced words like ‘hello’.
Among them were PCs Heena Rani and Lucy Granby, who were part of a close-knit team with PC Y, the hearing was told.
PC Y gave evidence via video link and was asked by Mr Reed how the alleged impersonation made her feel.
Amaaz was convicted of causing actual bodily harm to PC Ward, who suffered a broken nose, and assaulting PC Ellie Cook
Amaaz, 21 (left), and 26-year-old Muhammad Amaad pictured last year
“It was quite disturbing,” she replied.
‘It made me uncomfortable, nervous and also quite anxious.
“I may have laughed, but I tend to laugh when I feel those things.
“As things got worse, I tended to keep quiet about it.
“They copied everything I said and then laughed about it.”
The mimicking happened “most days” and involved “repeating the words she said, copying her … accent,” Mr Reed said.
‘It was clear that PC Rani and PC Granby found this funny. [Officer Y] didn’t think it was funny.‘
After a colleague intervened, PCs Rani and Granby apologized to PC Y, the hearing was told, but the impersonation reportedly resumed.
Instead, Mr. Reed said, other officers on the team began doing the same.
Fellow police officers recalled “mimicking” her “African accent” and “deep laugh,” Mr Reed said, which made PC Y appear “uncomfortable.”
PC Y came forward with its allegations in November 2023.
The other officers facing misconduct proceedings are PCs Matthew Barlow and Matthew Hill, as well as former PC Jake Holt and a former officer identified only as A.
All nine are accused of violating professional standards of authority, respect and civility, equality and diversity, and disgraceful conduct.
In addition to Sergeant Bick and PC Abid, they are all also accused of breaching the requirements to raise and report inappropriate behaviour.
Under cross-examination by PC Abid’s lawyer, Peter Byrne, PC Y agreed that in her first statement she had described his comment about her hair as ‘weird’ and strange, and that she had not reported this at the time.
She insisted the incident had indeed taken place, saying: ‘He did ask about the hair, the braids, how long it lasted.
“He then said, ‘It looks like a mop,’ laughed and walked away.”
Sergeant Bick and PC Green admit that the incident occurred where a suspect’s photo was compared to PC Y’s mother.
Sergeant Bick claims he was referring to the suspect’s hairstyle and glasses, and not the color of her skin.
But he acknowledged that the comment “could be perceived as racist” and apologized.
He is not accused of making ‘derogatory’ comments in the presence of PC Y.
PC Green also claims she took Sgt Bick’s comment as a reference to her ‘curly hair and glasses’, and said PC Y ‘laughed’ when she mentioned it.
As for the imitation allegations, PC Green admits he copied PC Y saying ‘okay’ in a ‘high manner’, but denies this amounted to racism.
PCs Rani and Granby also only accept copying how PC Y said “ok” and say this was a “shared joke” on the team.
PCs Barlow, Hill, Holt and Officer A gave similar accounts.
All nine are said to have subjected PC Y to ‘unwanted’, ‘offensive’ and ‘racist’ commentary, and all risk being guilty of gross misconduct if the claims are found proven.
The incident at Manchester Airport erupted after Amaaz headbutted a holidaymaker he had accused of racially abusing his mother, who they met on an inbound flight from Pakistan.
Amaaz, then 19, punched PC Lydia Ward in the face, sending her sprawling to the ground, before repeatedly hitting armed fellow PC Ellie Cook.
Amaad meanwhile overpowered a second armed PC, Zachary Marsden, and began trading blows before Amaaz joined in.
The brothers were both eventually arrested after PC Cook fired her 50,000-volt Taser at Amaaz, who fell to the ground.
Amid the confusion, PC Marsden kicked the teenager in the face and aimed a stamp nearby.
Images of the kick went viral, with protesters taking to the streets and calling for the defunding of the police.
But there was a fierce reaction after CCTV footage showed the violence the officers had been subjected to just seconds earlier.
Amaaz was convicted last year of causing bodily harm to Sergeant Ward and assaulting PC Cook and the passenger who was headbutted.
But two juries failed to reach a verdict on whether either brother had attacked PC Marsden.
To widespread outrage, prosecutors later said they could not “legally” request a second retrial, meaning older brother Amaad, 26, faces no further action.
In May, the policewoman left bloodied and sobbing after Amaaz’s attack branded him a ‘coward’ and was jailed for three and a half years.
PC Ward – now a sergeant – accused the school leaver of showing ‘not an iota’ of remorse for using her ‘as a punching bag’.
In a powerful victim impact statement, the mother of one described the lasting physical and mental scars of having her nose broken in the ‘utterly terrifying’ attack, telling the school leaver: ‘You changed my face.’
Sergeant Ward accused him of ‘playing the victim’ when one-sided footage first emerged.
And she movingly revealed she was forced to take her newborn child with her when she gave evidence, telling 21-year-old Amaaz that a court was ‘no place for a baby’.
Judge Neil Flewitt jailed Amaaz for 42 months for the ‘unprovoked’ attacks and accused him of showing ‘a complete lack of remorse’.
He “tried to blame others for what was clearly your responsibility” and “paint yourself as a victim,” he added.
PC Marsden remains under investigation by the Independent Office for Police Conduct, which could still refer him back to the Crown Prosecution Service for possible charges.
Separately from today’s disciplinary proceedings, four officers from the Bury district are facing misconduct proceedings after the IOPC investigated an unrelated incident of alleged racism.
That investigation is said to have started after comments were accidentally recorded on a suspect’s mobile phone.
One officer, PC Scott Dixon, was dismissed, allegedly for using the word ‘golliwog’ to a fellow officer.
The hearing continues.
