Events | 2009.08.06
Tomlinson's family: 'We won't keep quiet'
Widow and son of 47-year-old newspaper seller who died after being hit by policeman at G20 protests speak of their anger and frustration
The family of Ian Tomlinson, who collapsed after being hit by an officer at the G20 protests in London , have accused the police of engaging in a cover-up to stop them finding out the truth.
In an interview with the Guardian, Tomlinson\'s widow, Julia, and son, Paul King, spoke for the first time about the anger, hurt and frustration they have felt in the months since his death.
They said they felt they had been pressured by the City of London police, Scotland Yard and the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) not to speak out, but could no longer keep quiet because of their concerns.
The family said police had prevented them from viewing Tomlinson\'s body for six days after his death.
Police initially tried to persuade them there was nothing suspicious about the death and gave them only an edited version of his first post-mortem exmaination.
Telling the family he had "died of a heart attack", police made no mention of significant injuries found on Tomlinson\'s body.
Family members now believe the injuries were caused by a police officer who struck him and pushed him to ground.
Tomlinson, a 47-year-old newspaper seller, collapsed and died near the Bank of England at around 7.25pm on 1 April, moments after the attack by an officer in the Metropolitan police\'s Territorial Support Group (TSG).
The family said they could no longer keep silent when the IPCC announced this week that it had completed its investigation and handed a file to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).
Prosecutors are now deciding whether to bring charges against the officer, who was questioned by the IPCC on suspicion of manslaughter after the Guardian released video footage of the attack.
Julia Tomlinson criticised the IPCC failing to properly investigate her husband\'s death until after the video was broadcast – almost a week after his death.
"The IPCC should have been there from day one – definitely – not left it five days later," she said.
King added: "We\'ve asked to see the evidence that [the IPCC] passed to the CPS. We\'re still waiting for it ... we haven\'t seen it.
"Everyone knows that there was a lot of cover-up in the beginning. The truth will come out in the end."
The family believe police misled them over Tomlinson\'s death from the outset.
"It was half past four in the morning – a knock at the door and Stephanie, the second youngest daughter, answered the door," Julia Tomlinson said.
"There were two police officers standing there and they asked to speak to Sam, my eldest daughter. I came down the stairs and they asked if I was Mrs Tomlinson, and I said yes.
"They said: \'Have you heard about the G20? I said: \'I don\'t know what you\'re talking about.\'
"They said: \'If you\'d like to sit down, then we\'ll explain to you. And they said: \'Your husband was caught up in the G20 riots, and he suddenly collapsed and died of a heart attack."
Police then refused to allow her to see his body in the Royal London Hospital, she added.
"Six days later, I wasn\'t allowed to go and see him," she said. "I didn\'t understand why they didn\'t want me to go and see him – if someone dies of a heart attack, you get to go and see him. But they weren\'t letting me."
They also disclosed that, when a post-mortem examination was completed three days after Tomlinson died, police gave them an edited version of the results.
The family were not told that a forensic pathologist had found large amounts of blood in his stomach, a suspected dog bite on his leg and a number of other injuries.
"Now we know that it wasn\'t a heart attack ... that he died of internal bleeding."
King said: "We\'ve been confused by the City police, Metropolitan police, IPCC to not say anything: \'Don\'t say anything, because you\'ll jeopardise the case\'.
"I think we\'ve been so confused with all that – don\'t say this, don\'t say that, even down to don\'t talk to the media – they\'ve made us quite scared to talk.
"The IPCC have finished their investigation, we haven\'t been able to talk, and we just want to let people know how we feel. We are grieving."
For more information, please visit
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2009/aug/06[...]mily-accuse-police-of-cover-up
