Jury reach verdict of unlawful killing of Ian Tomlinson in inquest

To reach an unlawful killing conclusion, the jury were required to have been satisfied to a higher burden of proof than the other possible verdicts, which could have been reached "on the balance of probabilities".

But to reach the unlawful killing verdict, the jury had to be convinced "beyond reasonable doubt", the same threshold used in criminal trials.

but we know that he was PC Simon Harwood, a member of the Metropolitan Police's Territorial Support Group.

The director of public prosecutions, Keir Starmer, who decided in July last year not to prosecute Harwood for manslaughter, will now be under intense pressure to reverse that decision.

An official Crown Prosecution Service review of the decision not to prosecute Harwood is now under way.

the room and answered four short questions, known as the inquisition.

What was the name of the deceased?
Ian Tomlinson.

What was the cause of his death? Injury or disease?
Abdominal haemorrhage due to blunt force trauma to the abdomen in association with cirrhosis of the liver.

If the person died of injury, what were the circumstances?
Mr Tomlinson was on his way home from work on the 1st of April 2009 during the G20 demonstration. He was fatally injured at around 19.20pm on Royal Exchange Buildings ... This was the result of a baton strike from behind and a push by the officer which caused Ian Tomlinson to fall heavily.

The jury said both the baton strike and the push were "unreasonable".

"As a result, Mr Tomlinson suffered internal bleeding which led to his collapse within a few minutes and his subsequent death." The jury decided that at the time of the strike and push Tomlinson was was walking away from the officer and "posed no threat".

What is the jury's conclusion as to the death?
Unlawful killing.

wife, Julia, six of their children are present at the hearing and have broken down, crying.


This is big news i'd say as this has been a contentious issue and very contravertail for many months now and to have it finally brought to a head is good news for Ian Tomlinson, his family and his memory. Ian will always be remembered by those who defend the right of citizens to protest peacefull and fairly. I am thankful the jury came to this right and correct decision and i hope the officer in question is dealt with properly. This is also a signal to the police that they just cannot get away with brutal treatment of protesters and if brought to court there can be justice. Not that will do much to bring poor Ian back.