G20 victim 'assaulted by policeman'
Updated on 07 April 2009
A man who died during the G20 protests was roughly shoved to the ground by a baton-wielding police officer, new video footage shows.
Ian Tomlinson, 47, a newspaper seller who worked in the City and who was not part of the demonstrations, is shown walking away from a group of officers on the evening of April 1.
He has his hands in his pockets and does not appear to speak to any of the policemen - some of whom are in riot gear and some who have dogs - or offer any resistance.
When slowed down, the footage, which was shot at about 7.20pm at Royal Exchange Passage, shows an officer wearing a helmet apparently hitting Mr Tomlinson from behind with a baton on the leg. He then uses both hands to shove him in the back.
Mr Tomlinson is propelled forward and lands heavily. He sits on the ground for a few seconds where he remonstrates with police. None of the officers appears to offer him any help.
He gets back onto his feet but moments later collapses to the ground. A post-mortem examination showed he had suffered a heart attack.
The footage was obtained by the Guardian newspaper and reportedly shot by a New York fund manager who was in London on business.
He told the newspaper: "The primary reason for me coming forward is that it was clear the family were not getting any answers."
The newspaper said the video will be handed to the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) as part of a "dossier of evidence" which also includes a collection of witness statements and photographs in the aftermath of the alleged attack.
Witnesses told the paper that before the moment was captured on video, Mr Tomlinson had already been hit with batons and thrown to the floor by police.
Photographer Anna Branthwaite, who saw Tomlinson walking towards Cornhill Street, said: "A riot police officer had already grabbed him and was pushing him. It wasn't just pushing him - he'd rushed him. He went to the floor and he did actually roll. That was quite noticeable.
"It was the force of the impact. He bounced on the floor. It was a very forceful knocking down from behind. The officer hit him twice with a baton when he was lying on the floor.
"So it wasn't just that the officer had pushed him - it became an assault."
She said Mr Tomlinson was picked up from the back and the officer continued with him as he ran and stumbled along.
A Metropolitan Police spokesman said: "It would not be appropriate to comment while an IPCC investigation is ongoing."
Meanwhile, an IPCC spokeswoman said: "The IPCC has been made aware of the footage broadcast on a national newspaper's website. We are now attempting to recover this evidence. We will be assessing this along with the other statements and photographs that have already been submitted."
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