G20 Officer Quizzed after Death

The police officer involved in the death of Ian Tomlinson has been interviewed under caution on suspicion of manslaughter after new tests on him proved he died of abdominal bleeding and not a heart attack as first thought. Of course it may be proven that this was a pre-existing condition, only time will tell. The thing is, after other reported acts of, shall we say, over enthusiasm by the police, are the police in danger of losing the trust of the general public - or am I being pessimistic?

From the tiny bit of video I saw of this, I couldnt see that the policeman used enough force to cause abdominal bleeding, the man had his back to the policeman and he pushed him forward? I'm not condoning what the policeman did by the way, I think it was totally out of order.

With regards to people losing confidence in the police, I'm afraid personally I lost any faith in our police force a long time ago. Having had lots of dealings with our local force (as a victim I hasten to add) the police are generally only interested in making excuses as to why they cannot arrest an offender.

This guy was walking peacefully along, with his hands in his pockets and was pushed really hard, to to the ground.
I think it may be a case of an over-enthusiastic policeman who was geared up for a riot.

10:51pm UK, Friday April 17, 2009

A policeman has been questioned on suspicion of manslaughter after G20 rally victim Ian Tomlinson was found to have died of internal bleeding - not a heart attack.


Ian Tomlinson collapsed and died during the G20 protests in London



The 47-year-old newspaper vendor was filmed being shoved violently by police and then being pushed to the floor at the demonstration on April 1.

He had not been taking part in the London protests and his death raised concerns about the tactics deployed by police.

An initial post-mortem ruled that he died of a heart attack.

However, a second examination carried out by pathologist Dr Nat Cary found that an abdominal haemmorhage - a vastly different condition - was the cause of death.

"The cause of the haemorrhage remains to be ascertained," read a statement from the coroners' court, released by lawyers working for Mr Tomlinson's family.

The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) has since confirmed that an officer involved in the incident has been questioned under caution for manslaughter.



Ian Tomlinson

Sky's Home Affairs correspondent Mark White said: "This is the worst possible news for the Territorial Support Group and for the Metropolitan Police Commissioner.

"Of course it is also not nice for Mr Tomlinson's family, who are still grieving.

"Police in Scotland Yard had been hoping that tragic though his death was, it would not be linked to the actions of their officers.

"It still might not be but it is certainly heading down that road."

Medical experts have said the treatment Mr Tomlinson received by police may have been enough to cause the internal bleeding, especially if he had been suffering from a pre-existing condition.

A spokesman for the Metropolitan Police said the force was cooperating fully with the IPCC and would "proactively" give it any relevant information.

London Mayor Boris Johnson urged a "fast and transparent" conclusion to the investigation and said the police deserved "overwhelming support."



Tributes left for Mr Tomlinson

Meanwhile, Mr Tomlinson's son Paul King said: "First we were told that there had been no contact with the police, then we were told that he died of a heart attack.

"Now we know that he was violently assaulted by a police officer and died from internal bleeding.

"As time goes on, we hope that the full truth about how Ian died will be made known."

The IPCC is also looking into the case of an animal rights activist, Nicola Fisher, who was filmed being slapped across the face and hit with a baton during the G20 demonstrations