Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party has announced that it will launch and fund a private prosecution against two men allegedly involved in a fight with police officers at Manchester Airport in July
Following four months of apparent inaction from the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), Reform UK said that it has hired one of the top private prosecutors in the country to mount a case against two men reportedly of Asian extraction over the Manchester Airport incident, in which four officers were attacked with a female officer reportedly suffering a broken nose as result.
Writing in The Telegraph, Mr Farage and Reform UK Deputy Leader Richard Tice Wrote: “We at Reform UK will not stand for two-tier justice and two-tier policing.
“We have instructed TM Eye Ltd, one of Britain’s leading private prosecutors with more than 1,000 successful prosecutions under its belt, to do this private prosecution. It has today written to the Greater Manchester Police and CPS confirming this and setting the ball in motion.
“We have secured the funding to carry this all the way to conclusion. We are also making it clear to the CPS that we will not tolerate it hijacking our prosecution, then dropping it for political reasons later on.”
Initially, Manchester Police were accused of a racist attack after partial footage apparently showed an officer kicking one of the men in the head area. However, full CCTV video of the incident appeared to show the men starting the fight with the officers.
The Reform leaders have alleged that the failure by the CPS to launch a prosecution after four months despite “compelling CCTV evidence” of the attack, demonstrates a “two tier” justice system in Britain.
Farage contrasted the lack of prosecution over the Manchester Airport incident to the swift prosecution of those involved in the riots and protests following the Southport stabbing attack over the summer, which saw three young girls slain at a Taylor Swift dance party.
“The Southport riots led to immediate arrests and in some cases imprisonment not just for those that threw bricks but for those who said things online. Yet the appalling attack on police officers at Manchester Airport has been completely ignored,” Mr Farage said in a video address.
“We think as Reform UK this is as clear an illustration of two-tier policing two-tier Justice in two-tier as Britain as you could possibly see,” he added.
Under UK law, any adult can launch a private prosecution, however, they will are responsible to pay for legal representation and in some instances the legal costs of the defendant.
Following the announcement from Reform of a private prosecution, the Crown Prosecution Service told the Manchester Evening News that it was still “considering material” over the case.
“We are working with Greater Manchester Police and the Independent Office for Police Conduct while their inquiries continue,” the CPS said.