THE police officer filmed kicking a man in the head during an airport brawl has told a court he acted “professionally”.
Firearms cop Zachary Marsden has admitted kicking Mohammed Fahir Amaaz, 20, while he was on the ground, last July.
Mohammed Fahir Amaaz, left, and Muhammed Amaad, right, are accused of assault[/caption]
PC Marsden told a jury he was trying to arrest Amaaz for headbutting another man in a cafe at Manchester Airport.
Marsden said he was aware of the “crowd dynamic” in the pay station area and wanted to remove Amaaz from the area in case of an adverse crowd reaction.
He said: “Based on my experience as a police officer, affecting an arrest in a crowd can create its own crowd dynamic risk.
“It would be better to remove him from the crowd.
“I did not want to operate within the crowd which could give them the opportunity to escalate the situation.”
The brawl, which also involved Amaaz’s brother Muhammad Amaad, 26, and two other officers was filmed and went viral on the internet.
Both brothers, from Rochdale, deny assault charges and claim they acted in self defence.
Their lawyer Imran Khan KC told Liverpool crown court Amaaz saw PC Marsden aim his Taser at his brother and may have believed it was a gun.
The trial continues.
PC Marsden has admitted kicking Mohammed Fahir Amaaz while he was on the ground[/caption]
