A police officer has been “removed from operational duties” following an incident which occurred at Manchester Airport earlier this week.
Greater Manchester Police (GMP) says it is “aware” of a video which has been widely circulating on social media appearing to show one of its officers kicking and stamping on a man’s head while he is on the ground as another officer attempts to detain him following what has been referred to as an “earlier altercation”.
The police force has now issued formal statement addressing the video – which has been shared and viewed thousands of times online.
The incident referred to as the subject of the video occurred on Tuesday 23 July.
We are aware of a video that is circulating online which shows our firearms officers responding to an incident at Manchester Airport.
— Greater Manchester Police (@gmpolice) July 24, 2024
GMP says it was called out to an “altercation” between members of the public in Manchester Airport‘s Terminal 2 at around 8:25pm, before the officers were the subjected to a “violent assault” as they tried to make an arrest.
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During the altercation, GMP says there was a risk of the armed police officers’ “firearms being taken”, and following the incident, it has been confirmed that a female officer was left with a broken nose, and other officers were hospitalised.
Four men were arrested at the scene on suspicion of affray and assault of emergency service workers.
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The force has confirmed that its Professional Standards Directorate is assessing the video footage, and that a referral has also been made to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).
Following the chaotic footage caught on camera beginning to reach the eyes of the wider public online, GMP’s Assistant Chief Constable, Wasim Chaudhry, addressed the nature of the incident in a formal statement, and confirmed the measures being taken by the force going forward.
We know that our communities are rightly concerned by video footage, which is being circulated online, that shows armed police officers responding to an incident at Manchester Airport .
— Greater Manchester Police (@gmpolice) July 24, 2024
ACC Chaudhry’s statement reads in full: “We know that a film of an incident at Manchester Airport that is circulating widely shows an event that is truly shocking, and that people are rightly extremely concerned about. The use of such force in an arrest is an unusual occurrence and one that we understand creates alarm.
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“In advance of what is shown in the footage available, we were called to reports of an assault at Terminal 2 Manchester Airport at 8:25pm on Tuesday 23 July. The alleged suspect was seen on CCTV at a ticket machine in the car park and officers attended the location to arrest him.
“During our response, three officers were assaulted. One female officer suffered a broken nose, and the other officers were forced to the ground and suffered injuries which required hospital treatment.
“One male officer has been removed from operational duties, and we are making a voluntary referral of our policing response to the Independent Office of Police Conduct.
Body of woman found in River Mersey last year finally identified after ‘extensive’ investigation
Emily Sergeant
The body of woman who was found in the River Mersey last year has finally been identified.
Following what has been described as an ‘extensive investigation’ by Greater Manchester Police‘s (GMP) Major Incident Team to determine the identity of the body, which was sadly discovered in the river adjacent to Chorlton Water Park on 21 March 2024, the family of the victim has now been informed and supported by specialist officers.
The victim has been formally named as 38-year-old Laura Stanley, who was originally from Derbyshire but was living in Stockport.
After the body was discovered, and ‘exhaustive and determined’ investigation by GMP officers began to identify here, including detailed checks of both national and international databases.
The Major Incident Team (MIT) also closely worked in collaboration with specialist forensic service providers to create an anthropological profile, which eventually culminated in the creation of a facial reconstruction image.
Following several media appeals, a relative of Laura contacted officers and then a DNA match was confirmed through a familial link.
“Laura was a kind and gentle person with a great sense of fun and adventure,” Laura’s family said in a heartbreaking tribute to her.
“She was generous, thoughtful, caring and always keen to volunteer within the community. Laura was a proud and loving mum and she will be greatly missed by her girls and all of her friends and family who loved her dearly.”
The River Mersey, across from Chorlton Water Park, where Laura’s body was discovered / Credit: Wikimedia Commons
While Laura has now been identified, police say further investigations will take place to understand her last movements, the events that led to her death, and her discovery in the river.
Additionally, as is standard practice, GMP’s Professional Standards Directorate is also reviewing a previous missing report relating to Laura in the time before the discovery of her body, which will determine prior contact relating to Laura, and whether the appropriate measures were enacted.
#UPDATE | A woman who was discovered in the River Mersey last year has been identified following an extensive investigation by officers in GMP’s Major Incident Team.
Thank you to those of you who have shared our appeals over the last year.
Anyone who knew Laura and thinks they may be able to assist with the investigation is asked to contact police by calling 101, or by using the Live Chat Service at gmp.police.uk, quoting log number 1191 of 21 March 2024.
Alternatively, you can contact the Major Incident Team Syndicate 3 directly on 0161 856 9479, or the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
It is currently believed that Laura was last seen around January 2024.
Featured Image – GMP
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More than 70,000 home buyers set to pay thousands after missing stamp duty relief deadline
Emily Sergeant
More than 70,000 home buyers across England are estimated to have missed the stamp duty relief deadline.
This sadly means they’ll be required to fork out thousands of pounds extra.
In case you hadn’t heard, up until yesterday (31 March 2025), anyone who was moving and had bought a home in the past was not required to pay Stamp Duty Land Tax, better-known as just stamp duty, on the portion of the property price up to £250,000.
But from today (1 April), this threshold has now fallen back to £125,000, which unfortunately means that property purchasers are facing an extra £2,500 in moving costs, on average.
While the end of the stamp duty relief will mostly affect those Greater Manchester buyers who had already previously purchased properties, first time buyers are sadly not exempt from the deadline changes too, as their current stamp duty threshold of £425,000 has now fallen back to £300,000 as of today.
Person holding the keys to a new house in their hand / Credit: Maria Ziegler (via Unsplash)
Given that the average property price for a first time buyer-type home is currently around £227,965, according to Rightmove, the new £300,000 threshold may hit those purchasing properties in more expensive areas – particularly the South East.
A third of those estimated 70,000 home buyers who have missed the deadline are thought to be first time buyers.
Leading property platform Rightmove published an analysis in February into just how much of an impact the end of the stamp duty relief would have on home buyers, all while calling on the UK Government to announce a short extension to the deadline to help people in the middle of the property purchasing process avoid potentially thousands of pounds in extra moving costs.
But despite these calls from industry leaders, there was no extension to the deadline announced in the last week’s latest Spring Statement.
“It’s extremely disappointing that the Government has not used the Spring Statement as an opportunity to extend the impending stamp duty deadline for those currently going through the home-moving process,” commented Rightmove’s property expert Colleen Babcock.
“We estimate over 70,000 people are going to miss the deadline and complete in April instead, and a third of those are first time buyers.”
Emily Sergeant -
25th July 2024 
