Judicial Acquittal of Two Defendants Following Deadlocked Juries in Manchester Airport Assault Case
曼徹斯特機場襲擊案陪審團無法達成協議，兩名被告獲法院宣告無罪
Introduction
Mohammed Fahir Amaaz and Muhammad Amaad have been acquitted of assaulting a police officer after two consecutive juries failed to reach verdicts.
在連續兩個陪審團均未能達成裁決後，Mohammed Fahir Amaaz 與 Muhammad Amaad 已被宣告無罪，無需承擔襲擊一名警員的責任。
Main Body
The legal proceedings concerned an incident on July 23, 2024, at Terminal 2 of Manchester Airport. The confrontation commenced after Mohammed Fahir Amaaz allegedly assaulted a member of the public at a Starbucks outlet, prompting an intervention by Greater Manchester Police (GMP). During the subsequent apprehension at a car park pay station, a physical altercation ensued involving the defendants and three officers, including PC Zachary Marsden, PC Lydia Ward, and PC Ellie Cook. While the defendants asserted that their actions constituted lawful self-defense, prosecution evidence and CCTV footage indicated a high level of violence directed toward the officers.
此法律程序涉及 2024 年 7 月 23 日在曼徹斯特機場 2 號航廈發生的事件。該衝突始於 Mohammed Fahir Amaaz 涉嫌在一家星巴克門店襲擊一名民眾，隨後引發大曼徹斯特警察局（GMP）的干預。在隨後於停車場繳費站進行逮捕時，被告與三名警員（包括 PC Zachary Marsden、PC Lydia Ward 及 PC Ellie Cook）發生肢體衝突。儘管被告主張其行為屬於合法自衛，但控方證據與 CCTV 影像顯示，其對警員施加了高程度的暴力。
Regarding the specific charge of causing actual bodily harm to PC Marsden, two separate juries at Liverpool Crown Court remained deadlocked. Consequently, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) determined that a third trial would not be pursued. Prosecution counsel Paul Greaney KC noted that while the matter was serious, it did not meet the threshold of 'extreme gravity' required to override the legal presumption against third trials. Judge Neil Flewitt KC subsequently directed that not guilty verdicts be recorded for both men.
針對對 PC Marsden 造成實際身體傷害的特定指控，利物浦刑事法院的兩個獨立陪審團均陷入僵局。因此，皇家檢控署（CPS）決定不進行第三次審理。控方大律師 Paul Greaney KC 指出，雖然此案性質嚴重，但尚未達到推翻禁止第三次審理法律推定所需的「極端嚴重」門檻。法官 Neil Flewitt KC 隨後指示，將兩名男子記錄為無罪。
Parallel to these acquittals, Mohammed Fahir Amaaz was previously convicted of assaulting PC Ward, PC Cook, and a civilian. He remains in custody pending sentencing on June 26. Conversely, the conduct of the police officers has been subject to scrutiny. Mobile phone footage depicting PC Marsden kicking Amaaz while the latter was prone led to significant public unrest and allegations of police brutality. Although the CPS announced in December 2024 that no criminal charges would be brought against PC Marsden, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) maintains an active investigation into professional misconduct and the use of force, citing new evidence discovered in October 2025.
在這些無罪判決的同時，Mohammed Fahir Amaaz 此前已被裁定襲擊 PC Ward、PC Cook 及一名平民有罪。他目前仍被拘留，等待 6 月 26 日的量刑。相反，警察的行為也受到了審查。一段手機影片拍到 PC Marsden 在 Amaaz 俯臥時對其踢踹，引發了顯著的公眾不安以及對警察暴力的指控。雖然 CPS 在 2024 年 12 月宣布不會對 PC Marsden 提起刑事指控，但警察行為獨立監督辦公室（IOPC）引用 2025 年 10 月發現的新證據，目前仍對其專業失職及使用武力進行調查。
Furthermore, the proceedings were complicated by external socio-political factors. The defense highlighted a 'trial by social media,' alleging that the defendants were subjected to racial vilification. This included a referral to the Attorney General by Judge Flewitt regarding comments made by Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, who characterized the defendants as 'violent thugs' during the initial trial. The Attorney General's office ultimately declined to initiate contempt of court proceedings.
此外，外部社會政治因素使訴訟程序複雜化。辯方強調這是一場「社交媒體審判」，指稱被告遭受種族詆毀。這包括法官 Flewitt 就 Reform UK 黨魁 Nigel Farage 在初審期間將被告描述為「暴力暴徒」的言論向總檢察長提交的轉介。總檢察長辦公室最終決定不啟動藐視法庭程序。
Conclusion
The defendants have been formally acquitted of the charge regarding PC Marsden, while an IOPC investigation into police conduct remains ongoing.
被告關於 PC Marsden 的指控已正式獲宣告無罪，而 IOPC 對於警察行為的調查仍在進行中。
Vocabulary Learning
The Architecture of Legal Detachment: Mastering the 'Nominalized Narrative'
To transcend B2/C1 proficiency, a student must move beyond describing actions and begin describing states of affairs. This text is a masterclass in Nominalization—the linguistic process of turning verbs (actions) into nouns (concepts). This is the hallmark of C2 'Officialese' and high-level academic discourse.
⚡ The Pivot: From Process to Entity
Compare a B2 construction with the C2 legal phrasing found in the text:
- B2 (Action-Oriented): The police and the defendants fought, and then the police caught them.
- C2 (Nominalized): "...a physical altercation ensued involving the defendants..."
In the C2 version, the action of 'fighting' is transformed into the noun "physical altercation." This shifts the focus from the actors to the event itself, creating a clinical, objective distance essential for judicial reporting.
🔍 Dissecting the 'Lexical Weight'
Observe how the text utilizes heavy noun phrases to condense complex legal sequences into single semantic units:
- "Judicial Acquittal" Instead of saying 'The judge let them go,' the writer uses a noun phrase that encapsulates the entire legal process of clearing a defendant.
- "Legal Presumption against Third Trials" This is a sophisticated 'noun cluster.' It doesn't just describe a rule; it establishes a conceptual framework. A C2 learner must be able to stack adjectives and nouns to create these dense, precise meanings.
- "Racial Vilification" Moving beyond 'saying racist things,' this term elevates the discourse to a sociological level, categorizing the action as a specific type of systemic harm.
🛠 Application for the C2 Aspirant
To mirror this, stop relying on Subject + Verb + Object patterns. Instead, attempt to 'freeze' the action into a noun.
The Formula: .
- Draft: The jury couldn't agree, so the trial ended.
- C2 Refinement: The deadlock of the jury precipitated the conclusion of the proceedings.
By treating actions as 'objects,' you achieve the impersonal authority required for the highest tiers of English proficiency.