Ian Tomlinson inquest continues

Day two of the inquest into the death of the newspaper seller after he was struck by police during the G20 protests in London in 2009 11.10am: We’re off. Day 2 of the Ian Tomlinson inquest is under way. We’re running a bit late this morning due to the legal argument, which I am not allowed to report. Here is a recap of what happened yesterday: • The inquest into the death of Ian Tomlinson opened. Judge Peter Thornton QC has said that PC Simon Harwood, the officer who struck Tomlinson before he died is not on trial. But he said that the Crown Prosecution Service decision not to prosecute him could be reviewed. • Thornton anticipated that the cause of Tomlinson’s death would be an issue of “controversy” during the next five to six weeks. Specifically, he referred to the divergent medical opinions provided by three pathologists – Dr Freddy Patel, who concluded he had died of coronary heart disease, and Dr Nat Cary and Dr Kenneth Shorrock, who said he died of internal bleeding. • Jurors were shown detailed footage of Tomlinson’s last moments alive. The key footage that was shown was the same video, shot by a New York investment fund manager, that was released by the Guardian six days after the death. You can watch the video here . • A compilation of video footage was also shown of PC Harwood’s movements. It revealed how he had a physical altercation with at least one protester in the minutes leading up to his encounter with Tomlinson. He was filmed attempting to arrest a protester and dragging him off into a crowd. • A number of witnesses have given evidence. They included Tomlinson’s widow, Julia, and stepson, Paul King, who described him as a loving father who struggled to overcome his problem with drink. Other witnesses included Barry Smith, who owned the Evening Standard newspaper stand where Tomlinson worked, and two police officers who encountered an “intoxicated” Tomlinson as he tried to get through cordons. Ian Tomlinson G20 Protest Police London guardian.co.uk

Posted by on March 30, 2011. Filed under News, Politics, World News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.