 Ian Tomlinson remonstrates with police after being pushed to the ground, minutes before his death. | |
| Date | 1 April 2009 |
|---|---|
| Location | Cornhill, City of London |
| Reporter | Paul Lewis, The Guardian |
| Charges | PC Simon Harwood Manslaughter, May 2011 |
| Trial | 18 June – 19 July 2012 Southwark Crown Court |
| Verdict | Not guilty |
| Awards | Bevins Prize for outstanding investigative journalism, and Reporter of the Year, for Paul Lewis[1][2] |
| Footage | First video, published by The Guardian |
Ian Tomlinson (7 February 1962 – 1 April 2009) was a newspaper vendor who collapsed and died in the City of London after being struck by a police officer during the 2009 G-20 summit protests. After an inquest jury returned a verdict of unlawful killing, the officer, Simon Harwood, was prosecuted for manslaughter. He was found not guilty but was dismissed from the police service for gross misconduct.[3][4] Following civil proceedings, the Metropolitan Police Service paid Tomlinson's family an undisclosed sum and acknowledged that Harwood's actions had caused Tomlinson's death.[5]
The first post-mortem concluded that Tomlinson had suffered a heart attack, but a week later The Guardian published a video of Harwood, a constable with London's Metropolitan Police, striking Tomlinson on the leg with a baton, then pushing him to the ground. Tomlinson was not a protester, and at the time he was struck he was trying to make his way home through the police cordons. He walked away after the incident, but collapsed and died minutes later.[6]
After the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) began a criminal inquiry, further autopsies indicated that Tomlinson had died from internal bleeding caused by blunt force trauma to the abdomen, in association with cirrhosis of the liver. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) decided not to charge Harwood, because the disagreement between the first and later pathologists meant they could not show a causal link between the death and alleged assault.[7] That position changed in 2011; after the verdict of unlawful killing, the CPS charged Harwood with manslaughter.[8] He was acquitted in 2012 and dismissed from the service a few months later.[3]
Tomlinson's death sparked a debate in the UK about the relationship between the police, media and public, and the independence of the IPCC.[9] In response to the concerns, the Chief Inspector of Constabulary, Denis O'Connor, published a 150-page report in November 2009 that aimed to restore Britain's consent-based model of policing.[10]
- ^ "Top award for Guardian journalist" Archived 27 September 2016 at the Wayback Machine, The Guardian, 19 November 2009.
- ^ Oliver Luft, "Paul Lewis: Police tried to discourage our story" Archived 12 April 2010 at the Wayback Machine, PressGazette, 24 March 2010.
- ^ a b Peter Walker, Paul Lewis, "Ian Tomlinson death: Simon Harwood cleared of manslaughter" Archived 22 December 2019 at the Wayback Machine, The Guardian, 19 July 2012.
- ^ Peter Walker, "Ian Tomlinson case: PC Simon Harwood sacked for gross misconduct" Archived 22 December 2019 at the Wayback Machine, The Guardian, 17 September 2012.
- ^ Matthew Taylor, "Ian Tomlinson's family win apology from Met police over death in 2009" Archived 1 November 2020 at the Wayback Machine, The Guardian, 5 August 2013.
- ^ Paul Lewis, "Ian Tomlinson death: Guardian video reveals police attack on man who died at G20 protest" Archived 21 October 2020 at the Wayback Machine, The Guardian, 7 April 2009.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
CPSstatementwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
Starmerreviewwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Sarah Lyall, "Critics Assail British Police for Harsh Tactics During the G-20 Summit Meeting" Archived 31 October 2020 at the Wayback Machine, The New York Times, 30 May 2009.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
LewisLavilleNov25was invoked but never defined (see the help page).