This is the dawning of the age of web querulous

Perhaps I’m being unreasonably tetchy, but this just seems mighty wrong.

At 9.40am I tweeted a link to a photo on Street Boners, captioned “Using party balloons for nitrous is like getting a unicorn to talk to teens about breast cancer”.

At 9:41am I received an email notification that CancerInfoHQ was now following me on Twitter.

G20 Police Witnesses IDed: Metropolitan Police officer ‘T3’

Just because the media circus has for the most part rolled out to the next town in Sensationland does not mean we have forgotten that many police officers were witness to the deadly assault on Ian Tomlinson on Wednesday 1st April 2009.

Today we turn our attention to the officer labelled throughout this series as ‘T3′.

Some points to note:

• Definitely male
• Rather ruddy face
• 9 o’clock shadow/stubble
• No numbers on epaulettes
• No balaclava
• Helmet chinstrap drawn tight
• Black gloves
• Right-handed baton grip
• Hi-viz jacket opened at top, level with breast badge

Again, if you recognise this officer – one of at least eighteen who saw the deadly assault on Ian Tomlinson, then please speak out.

If you took or have seen a photograph of this police officer elsewhere, please check to see if a shoulder number – or any other means of identification – is visible in that picture.

Ian Tomlinson, RIP. Dead, but not forgotten.

G20 Police Witnesses IDed: Metropolitan Police officer ‘T2’

Continuing with our ‘G20 Police Witnesses IDed‘ project, here’s the Metropolitan Police officer we are currently labelling as ‘T2′ – thought to be a Level 2-trained borough officer.

Note:

• Black balaclava pulled down to just below the nose
• T-shaped black shield grip on riot shield
• Right-handed grip on extendable baton
• Black gloves
• Shorter than other officers at the scene (possibly a female officer?)

Again, if you recognise this officer – one of at least eighteen who saw the deadly assault on Ian Tomlinson, then please speak out.

If you took or have seen a photograph of this police officer elsewhere, please check to see if the shoulder number in that picture is clearer than here.

Ian Tomlinson, RIP. Dead, but not forgotten.

G20 Police Witnesses IDed: Metropolitan Police officer ‘T1’

It has been a while since last I posted about the killing of Ian Tomlinson, but like many, I have not forgotten. Today I return to the venture of trying to identify the police officers present at the deadly assault on Mr Tomlinson at Royal Exchange Buildings in central London back on Wednesday 1st April 2009.

Here we have one of the three officers labeled in these blog posts with the letter T. Initially this was because by their dress – with riot helmets and riot shields, and balaclavas on some of them – and by the way they moved together, as a unit, in a manner which suggested drill training, it seemed possible that they were Territorial Support Group (TSG) officers. Indeed, it has subsequently transpired that the officer who actually assaulted Ian Tomlinson in this incident (labeled here as ‘A’) – an officer dressed in a similar fashion, though acting apart from the ‘T’ trio – is a TSG officer.

However, as a commenter on this blog pointed out, and as is reasonably clear from the pictures of officer ‘T1′ here, the ‘T’s shoulder numbers indicate that they are instead what is known as ‘Level 2’s. That is, they are not members of the TSG (a unit which is separate from the borough-based structure of the regular police, and given the shoulder number prefix ‘U’) but local officers used as a tactical reserve to the TSG in public order situations such as the G20 protests under the MAST scheme. They are trained in the same skills and tactics as the full-time TSG, but for four days per year instead of approximately ten days per year for TSG officers (source: Metropolitan Police website via Internet Archive). These Level 2 officers wear their normal shoulder numbers.

As can be seen from the pictures above, ‘T1′ appears to have a double character letter prefix on his epaulette, indicating that he is a borough officer, as well as a three digit number.

Other things to note about officer ‘T1′ include:

• Black balaclava pulled down to just below the nose
• Distinctive black button badge over right breast
• ‘Oblong-over-octagon’ black shield grip on riot shield
• Right-handed grip on ‘public order long baton’
• Black gloves
• Possibly green or blue eyes

If you recognise this officer – one of at least eighteen who saw the deadly assault on Ian Tomlinson, then please speak out.

If you took or have seen a photograph of this police officer elsewhere (perhaps you recognise the badge), please check to see if the shoulder number in that picture is clearer than here.

Above all, please keep up the pressure, please do not forget, please do not let this be swept under the carpet. This is too important to simply leave in the hands of the IPCC, which has just announced that a police officer found wantonly altering notes on the killing of Jean Charles de Menezes will not face any charges.

By way of a postscript, the United Campaign Against Police Violence has been set up in response to the killing of Ian Tomlinson and others by the police, and it continues to keep the pressure up on the IPCC and the police.

G20 Police Witnesses IDed: ‘D1’ positively identified as CP807

Photographer Marcus Bensasson has come forward with some very good photographs from both Tuesday 31st March and Wednesday 1st April (the actual day of the G20 protests).

They clearly show that the City of London Police dog handler labelled here and elsewhere as ‘D1’ – a witness to the deadly assault on Ian Tomlinson – bears the shoulder number CP807.

In Marcus’ own words:

I saw him the day before the G20 protests outside the Bank of England at around about 2.30pm. I was just passing by and was in the right place at the right time when a suspect package was found and the place was cordoned off while the bomb squad dealt with it. He was the first one to brief the press on what was going on.

City of London Police dog handler CP807 (aka ‘D1’) at bomb scare on 31st March 2009 (cropped from picture by Marcus Bensasson)

City of London Police dog handler CP807 (aka ‘D1’) at bomb scare on 31st March 2009 (original picture by Marcus Bensasson)

City of London Police dog handler CP807 (aka ‘D1’) at bomb scare on 31st March 2009 (cropped from picture by Marcus Bensasson)

City of London Police dog handler CP807 (aka ‘D1’) at bomb scare on 31st March 2009 (original picture by Marcus Bensasson)

City of London Police dog handler CP807 (aka ‘D1’) at bomb scare on 31st March 2009 (cropped from picture by Marcus Bensasson)

City of London Police dog handler CP807 (aka ‘D1’) at bomb scare on 31st March 2009 (original picture by Marcus Bensasson)

Marcus continues:

I next saw him on April 1 on Leadenhall Street a little before 8.30pm, after the police had cleared protesters off Cornhill. Recognising him from the day before, I decided to take a picture. Then on April 8 when the Guardian published stills from the video of Tomlinson being assaulted I realised that it was the same guy. Seeing the pictures of him on your blog confirmed this to me.

City of London Police dog handler CP807 (aka ‘D1’) at G20 protests on 1st April 2009 (lightened version of original picture by Marcus Bensasson)

You can see more of Marcus Bensasson’s photography from the G20 protests in his Cornhill Flickr set.

Many thanks to him (and the other photographers, witnesses, commenters and citizen investigators) for helping to shine a light on the circumstances of the death of Ian Tomlinson.

G20 Police Witnesses IDed: ‘U3’

U3 wears a hi-viz jacket, but seemingly no headgear. He can be briefly seen near U2 by the fountain as Ian Tomlinson staggers off.

As with U2, it is not clear whether U3 is a police officer, but he definitely seems to be standing within the cluster of police officers behind the fountain without suffering any harassment, unlike Ian Tomlinson.

G20 Police Witnesses IDed: ‘U2’

U2 wears no headgear and seems to be in a black or dark coloured jacket, boilersuit or similar. He appears to be balding or to have close-cropped hair. He stands near to F5 behind the fountain.

It is by no means clear that he is a police officer, but he definitely seems to be standing within the cluster of police officers behind the fountain without suffering any harassment, unlike Ian Tomlinson.

G20 Police Witnesses IDed: City of London Police officer ‘U1’

Apologies for the delay between the previous post and this.

It seems that Channel 4 News is now very definitely on the case with regards to the missing police witnesses to the deadly assault on Ian Tomlinson on 1st April.

Perhaps this officer might be able to help. He was present in the background during the incident which was closely followed by Ian Tomlinson’s death, lurking for the most part on the west side of Royal Exchange Buildings, behind the trio of Level 2 Met officers (‘T1′-’T3′) and two suspected Forward Intelligence Team members (‘F3′ and ‘F4′).

Throughout he could be seen talking into or listening to the radio unit on the left side of his jacket collar. He could also be seen doing the same during the ‘photographer attack’ incident on Royal Exchange Buildings, when City of London officer 204 (aka ‘C1′) assaulted a snapper. It is from this incident that the clearer pictures of ‘U1′ (as captured by Colin McQuillen/TwoThumbsFresh*) are taken.

Officer U1 is clearly identifiable by his lack of headgear, his City of London hi-viz jacket (with red-and-white checkerboard), his silvery grey hair (parted to the left) and matching moustache, and the distinctive black patch or strap over his jacket’s right breast.

One thing which is a lot clearer in Colin’s photos than in the video is the detail on the epaulettes. Without being able to conclusively identify what is on them, the item towards the middle of the epaulette on his right shoulder looks too substantial to be letters, suggesting that it might be a pip or a crown. Two pips indicate an Inspector, a pip and a crown a Chief Superintendent.

In case you did not spot him in the original ‘American tourist’ footage or photographs of the Tomlinson assault, let’s refresh our memories:

* Thanks again to Colin/2TF for sharing the pictures

‘G20: Another version of the truth’ – very important piecing together of Tomlinson death timeline – READ & DISTRIBUTE

On the day that ACPO boss Sir Sir Ken Jones has attempted to suggest that the G20 policing operation was ‘proportionate’, Last Hours has published a preliminary – but detailed – timeline of the events that led to the deadly assault on Ian Tomlinson by an unidentified TSG officer whilst in the presence of (and possibly under the direction of) experienced police ‘public order specialists’.

This is an important attempt to get at the truth which the police appear to have tried to hide since the 1st April, and which the Independent Police Complaints Commission seems unable to uncover.

Please read, digest and redistribute widely.

Where crime is committed by those supposedly sworn to uphold it, it falls upon ordinary citizens to find justice.

Last Hours G20 timeline

Tomlinson assault cop directed by FIT?

It’s been taking a long time to wade through all the available material and make some kind of sense of it, so I’m a bit late going through the footage of the dog attack on Cornhill.

This took place around 7:16pm on 1st April, shortly before the deadly assault on Ian Tomlinson, and which involved several of the City of London dog handlers (D3, for example) also present when Ian Tomlinson is put to the ground.

But one thing of note is the apparent presence of ‘A’, the officer who later batons and pushes Ian Tomlinson. See the following pictures from each incident, and make up your own mind whether they are the same officer:

Some basic notes

After the moment captured in the screengrab from the ‘dog attack’ video, officer ‘A’ (if that’s who it is) exchanges looks (and possibly words) with the blue-flashed hi-vis jacket-wearing officers to right of screen (suspected FIT cops), before moving off into the cluster of cops around the corner of Threadneedle Street and Royal Exchange Buildings. Some of those officers head down Royal Exchange Buildings in the direction of Cornhill, before the videographer gets distracted by the big build up of riot police to his/her left, who then charge round the corner into Royal Exchange Avenue.

The general make-up of the group heading down Royal Exchange Building (as opposed to the surge into Royal Exchange Avenue) appears to match up with the beginning of the ‘American tourist’ video – some riot police with helmets and shields, the balaclava’d up shieldless left-handed officer, suspected FIT cops and dog handlers.

If one considers that the ‘dog attack’ incident to the north end of Royal Exchange Buildings and the Tomlinson assault to the south are connected by a number of police personnel and a short period of time (ie that some of those at the ‘dog attack’ then dash down the path to the location where Ian Tomlinson is then assaulted, all in a short space of time), then it would appear that the police officer who actually batons and pushes Mr Tomlinson talks to or takes some form of instruction from one or more police officers in the blue flashed hi-vis jackets before moving off from the ‘dog attack’ incident – as do other officers in the group we see in the assault footage. This might indicate, we may speculate, some level of command or control.

(This is, I note again, only speculation. Perhaps there were a number of left-handed baton-wielding riot cops with no epaulettes, high cut hi-vis jackets, balaclavas, trousers tucked into their boots, Nato helmets and no shields running around the Royal Exchange area of London between 7:16 and 7:20pm on the 1st of April. Hopefully they will all be making formal statements to account for their own actions and to bear witness to what they saw.)

As the evidence is assembled and analysed it may well be possible to piece together not just a chain of events, but the reasoning behind it, right down to who said what to whom at what point.

It will not be enough for one cop to face punishment for his actions, when his actions were but a side-effect of a tactic, a strategy, a doctrine, a policy. Responsibility lies in the fist gripped around a baton, but also in the command centres and briefing rooms.

NB: The times on the pictures above are approximate. The YouTube uploader of the ‘dog attack’ video states that they are unaware of whether the 7:16 timestamp refers to the beginning or end of the film. The moment pictured comes 1′32″ into the video.

Ian Tomlinson – ‘Didn’t die of heart attack’, G20 assault cop ‘quizzed under caution for manslaughter’

Following the Twitter traffic and MSM breaking news tickers, the second autopsy on Ian Tomlinson has found that he died not of a heart attack but from ‘abdominal haemmorhage’.

It’s also being reported that the police officer seen in video assaulting Ian Tomlinson shortly before he died has been interviewed under caution on suspicion of manslaughter.

Credible links as I chase them up.

ETA:

BBC: G20 death was not heart attack

A police officer has been interviewed under caution for manslaughter after a new post-mortem examination overturned the cause of Ian Tomlinson’s death.

The newspaper-seller was struck and pushed over by a police officer during G20 protests on 1 April in the City.

Now a fresh examination has found he died of abdominal bleeding, not a heart attack, as originally thought.

Lawyers for the family said the new post-mortem test raised the likelihood of a manslaughter charge.

In its statement, the Coroner’s Court said the inquest had looked at the first post-mortem examination carried out after Mr Tomlinson collapsed and died on the evening of 1 April.

That examination, carried out by Dr Freddy Patel, concluded Mr Tomlinson had diseased heart and liver and a substantial amount of blood in the abdominal cavity.

“His provisional interpretation of his findings was that the cause of death was coronary artery disease,” said the statement.

“A subsequent post-mortem examination was conducted by another consultant forensic pathologist, Dr Nat Cary, instructed by the IPCC and by solicitors acting for the family of the late Mr Tomlinson.

“Dr Cary’s opinion is that the cause of death was abdominal haemorrhage. The cause of the haemorrhage remains to be ascertained.

“Dr Cary accepts that there is evidence of coronary atherosclerosis but states that in his opinion its nature and extent is unlikely to have contributed to the cause of death.”

The statement concluded that both the opinions remained provisional and subject to further investigations and tests.

In a response, the Independent Police Complaints Commission said: “Following the initial results of the second post mortem, a Metropolitan police officer has been interviewed under caution for the offence of manslaughter as part of an ongoing inquiry into the death of Ian Tomlinson.”

Paul King, Mr Tomlinson’s step-son, 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.”

Jules Carey of Tuckers, the family’s solicitor, said the family had known about the results of the second post-mortem for the past week – but had reluctantly agreed to remain silent while the IPCC continued its investigations.

“The findings of Dr Nat Cary significantly increase the likelihood that the officer will now face the more serious charge of manslaughter,” said Mr Carey.

“The IPCC opposed the disclosure of Dr Cary’s findings until they satisfied themselves that it would not prejudice their investigation of the officer.

“It is of some comfort to the family that the record is now being put straight, but they hope that the IPCC investigation will be expedited and thorough, and that there will be a prompt referral to the CPS for charge,” he added.

The IPCC launched a full-scale investigation of the death after video footage revealed the officer’s contact with Mr Tomlinson, despite earlier reports to the contrary. The officer involved has been suspended from duty.

The news of the second post-mortem’s results came as the Metropolitan Police remained under pressure over the G20 strategy. Another officer from the force’s Territorial Support Group has also been suspended after a woman alleged she was hit on the second day of the protests.

Commissioner Sir Paul Stephenson has called in the Inspectorate of Constabularies to look at policing tactics on the day and how to handle future large protests.

In a statement, the Metropolitan Police said it wished to reiterate its “sincere regret” over Mr Tomlinson’s death but would not comment on the post-mortem while the IPCC continued its investigations.

BBC News

Telegraph: Ian Tomlinson G20 protests death: police office faces manslaughter charge

A police officer is facing a manslaughter charge over the death of Ian Tomlinson at the G20 protests in London after a second post mortem found that he died from internal bleeding.

Mr Tomlinson, 47, collapsed and died minutes after being knocked down by an officer on April 1. An initial post mortem carried out suggested he died from heart disease, but a second examination said that the cause of death was “abdominal haemorrhage”.

Medical sources said that this could be caused by an injury sustained through trauma such as a fall or a blow to the stomach.

A Metropolitan police constable seen in video footage appearing to shove Mr Tomlinson to the ground from behind, minutes before he collapsed, has been interviewed under caution over accusations of manslaughter.

A spokesman for the Independent Police Complaints Commissioner said: “Following the initial results of the second post mortem, a Metropolitan Police Officer has been interviewed under caution for the offence of manslaughter as part of an on-going inquiry into the death of Ian Tomlinson.”

The officer, from the Met’s Territorial Support Group, has been suspended from duty and signed off sick after apparently suffering a panic attack when the story and footage emerged.

The findings call into question the first post mortem, which was carried out by Dr Freddy Patel, two days after his death but before the footage of Mr Tomlinson’s last moments emerged.

The second examination was carried out by Dr Nat Carey, one of Britain’s most eminent forensic pathologists, on behalf of the IPCC.

Mr Tomlinson’s family solicitor, Jules Carey, said: “The video footage of the unprovoked and vicious assault on Ian by the police officer would easily justify charges of assault being brought against the officer. The findings of Dr. Nat Carey significantly increase the likelihood that the officer will now face the more serious charge of manslaughter”.

“The family have been aware of the findings of the second pathology report for a week and have had to endure the holding back of this information despite continuing reports in the press that Ian died of a heart attack.

“The IPCC opposed the disclosure of Dr Carey’s findings until they satisfied themselves that it would not prejudice their investigation of the officer. It is of some comfort to the family that the record is now being put straight, but they hope that the IPCC investigation will be expedited and thorough, and that there will be a prompt referral to the CPS for charge.”

Paul King, Mr Tomlinson’s stepson, 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”.

Sir Paul Stephenson this week ordered a top-level review of riot policing and admitted his concerns over the “clearly disturbing” images to have emerged.

Telegraph

Times: Ian Tomlinson died of internal bleeding, not heart attack, second post-mortem shows

A second post-mortem examination has sensationally revealed that the newspaper seller hit by a policeman at the recent G20 protests died from internal bleeding, and not a heart attack as previously thought.

Ian Tomlinson died minutes after the incident involving a Territorial Support Group officer from the Metropolitan Police, which was captured on video.

In light of today’s development, the officer has now been questioned under caution for manslaughter, the Independent Police Complaints Commission said today.

The first post mortem was carried out within two days of the incident, at the beginning of this month, and the cause of death was originally established as a heart attack.

However, a second examination was ordered after footage of the incident emerged on the internet. This was conducted by Dr Nat Carey, one of Britain’s most eminent forensic pathologists, last week, on behalf of both Mr Tomlinson’s family and the Independent Police Complaints Commission.

In a preliminary report, Dr Carey reported that the cause of death was abdominal haemorrhage. The cause of the haemorrhage remains to be ascertained.

A statement from the City of London Coroners’ Court said that Dr Carey accepts that there is evidence of heart disease but states that in his opinion “its nature and extent is unlikely to have contributed to the cause of death”.

Jules Carey of Tuckers, the family’s solicitor stated that “the video footage of the unprovoked and vicious assault on Ian by the police officer would easily justify charges of assault being brought against the officer”.

“The findings of Dr Nat Carey significantly increase the likelihood that the officer will now face the more serious charge of manslaughter.

“The family have been aware of the findings of the second pathology report for a week and have had to endure the holding back of this information despite continuing reports in the press that Ian died of a heart attack.

“The IPCC opposed the disclosure of Dr Carey’s findings until they satisfied themselves that it would not prejudice their investigation of the officer. It is of some comfort to the family that the record is now being put straight, but they hope that the IPCC investigation will be expedited and thorough, and that there will be a prompt referral to the CPS for charge.”

Metropolitan Police released a new statement this afternoon, reiterating its ’sincere regret’ in relation to the death of Ian Tomlinson.

Paul King on behalf of the family 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 statement from the Coroners Court said that the opinions of both consultant pathologists were provisional. “Both agree that their final opinions must await the outcome of further investigations and tests. These are likely to take some time. The IPCC’s investigation into the death of Ian Tomlinson is ongoing.”

Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said: “People in London and across the country have been deeply disturbed by the death of Ian Tomlinson.

“There must now be a fast and transparent conclusion to the IPCC investigation, with the full and urgent co-operation of all involved.

“The Metropolitan Police receive and deserve the overwhelming support of the people of London, but the family of Ian Tomlinson need answers and so do Londoners”.

Times

ETA:

Independent: G20 victim ‘died from haemorrhage’

The police officer suspended following the death of Ian Tomlinson during G20 protests has been questioned on suspicion of manslaughter, the Independent Police Complaints Commission said today.

He was questioned after a second post-mortem examination found Mr Tomlinson died from an “abdominal haemorrhage” and not a heart attack.

A spokesman for the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) said: “Following the initial results of the second post-mortem, a Metropolitan Police officer has been interviewed under caution for the offence of manslaughter as part of an ongoing inquiry into the death of Ian Tomlinson.”

Pathologist Dr Nat Cary, who carried out a second post-mortem at the request of the IPCC and Mr Tomlinson’s family, rejected the conclusions of the first.

He accepted that while there was evidence that Mr Tomlinson suffered hardening of the arteries in his heart, it was not serious enough to kill him.

In a statement, a spokesman for City of London Coroner’s Court said: “Dr Cary’s opinion is that the cause of death was abdominal haemorrhage. The cause of the haemorrhage remains to be ascertained.

“Dr Cary accepts that there is evidence of coronary atherosclerosis but states that in his opinion its nature and extent is unlikely to have contributed to the cause of death.”

The first post-mortem, carried out by Dr Freddy Patel, concluded that Mr Tomlinson died from coronary artery disease.

The statement said: “Dr F Patel made a number of findings of fact including descriptions of a number of injuries and of diseased organs including the heart and liver.

“He found a substantial amount of blood in the abdominal cavity. His provisional interpretation of his findings was that the cause of death was coronary artery disease.

“The opinions of both consultant pathologists are provisional and both agree that their final opinions must await the outcome of further investigations and tests. These are likely to take some time.”

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

He said: “The Metropolitan Police Service wishes to reiterate its sincere regret in relation to the death of Ian Tomlinson.

“Our thoughts are with his family, and all those affected by this tragedy.

“As an independent investigation by the Independent Police Complaints Commission into the circumstances surrounding police contact with Mr Tomlinson is ongoing, we are unable to comment specifically on the findings of the post-mortem.

“We continue to cooperate fully with the IPCC and proactively provide any information that may assist them. We await the findings of the investigation.”

Lindsey German, convener of the Stop The War Coalition, said: “This news is very disturbing and emphasises the need for a full and open public inquiry into recent aggressive policing of legal protests.”

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 family’s solicitor Jules Carey said they had been aware of the results of the second post-mortem for a week.

They had held the information back because the IPCC initially opposed its publication, fearing it would prejudice its investigation, he said.

He said the family hoped there would be a “prompt referral” to the Crown Prosecution Service for charge.

He said: “The video footage of the unprovoked and vicious assault on Ian by the police officer would easily justify charges of assault being brought against the officer.

“The findings of Dr Nat Cary significantly increase the likelihood that the officer will now face the more serious charge of manslaughter.

“The family have been aware of the findings of the second pathology report for a week and have had to endure the holding back of this information despite continuing reports in the press that Ian died of a heart attack.

“The IPCC opposed the disclosure of Dr Cary’s findings until they satisfied themselves that it would not prejudice their investigation of the officer.

“It is of some comfort to the family that the record is now being put straight, but they hope that the IPCC investigation will be expedited and thorough, and that there will be a prompt referral to the CPS for charge.”

London mayor Boris Johnson said: “People in London and across the country have been deeply disturbed by the death of Ian Tomlinson.

“Our first thoughts must be with his family as they mourn his loss. No one can doubt that the Metropolitan Police faced a huge challenge in securing the G20 summit.

“The police do an excellent job of making safe the 4,500 events and demonstrations that take place in London every year.

“But there must now be a fast and transparent conclusion to the IPCC investigation, with the full and urgent co-operation of all involved.

“Sir Paul Stephenson has rightly called in the IPCC and asked the HMIC (Inspectorate of Constabulary) to review the policing of demonstrations of this kind.

“It is vital that everyone takes care not to prejudice either the ongoing IPCC investigation or indeed any future criminal proceedings that may arise.

“The Metropolitan Police receive and deserve the overwhelming support of the people of London, but the family of Ian Tomlinson need answers, and so do Londoners.”

Shami Chakrabarti, director of Liberty, said: “This new evidence will only add to the distress of Mr Tomlinson’s family and further demonstrates how citizens and journalists have pressured the authorities into action.

“It increases the importance of the IPCC investigation and the Met Commissioner’s broader review of policing tactics. We all owe it to Mr Tomlinson and his loved ones to ensure that this tragic death was not in vain.”

In the immediate aftermath of Mr Tomlinson’s collapse, Scotland Yard said officers trying to help him were pelted with plastic bottles and other missiles thrown by protesters.

Video footage then emerged of an officer striking the 47-year-old newspaper salesman with his baton before shoving him violently to the ground.

An amateur cameraman caught the policeman’s actions on camera as thousands of protesters converged outside the Bank of England.

The officer, a member of the Territorial Support Group, was suspended last Friday at the request of the IPCC.

Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman Chris Huhne said: “This is an alarming finding. It suggests that Mr Tomlinson’s treatment by the police officer caught on video may have been the final contributing factor in his death.

“These findings put further pressure on the IPCC to investigate this matter with all urgency.”

Independent

ETA:

Guardian: G20 officer questioned on suspicion of Ian Tomlinson manslaughter

The police officer suspended following the death of Ian Tomlinson during the G20 protests has been questioned on suspicion of manslaughter after a second postmortem examination showed the newspaper vendor did not die of a heart attack.

The findings released today show Tomlinson, who was thrown to the ground by a Met officer during the protests, died from an abdominal haemorrhage.

The dramatic shift led the Independent Police Complaints Commission to confirm that the officer under investigation in connection with the alleged assault had been questioned about manslaughter.

Tomlinson’s family believe today’s findings make a manslaughter charge against the officer more likely. His 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.”

Tomlinson, 47, collapsed and died moments after being attacked from behind by a Metropolitan police territorial support group (TSG) officer on 1 April at about 7.20pm. The constable, whose identifying badge number was not on display, has not been identified.

He had been trying to make his way home from work when he was confronted by police, hit with a baton and thrown to the ground. Initially, police said he had previously had no contact with the police, and alleged that medics were impeded from helping him as “a number of missiles – believed to be bottles – were being thrown at them”.

A couple of days later, the Guardian published a photograph of him lying at the feet of police officers, along with the testimony of three witnesses who described him being hit with a baton or thrown to the ground by police. The IPCC criticised the Guardian for upsetting Tomlinson’s family and briefed other journalists that there was “nothing in the story” that he had been assaulted by an officer.

It was only when video footage emerged that the officer responsible was suspended and a criminal inquiry launched.

An initial postmortem, by the Home Office pathologist Dr Freddy Patel, found that Tomlinson died after suffering a heart attack. But Dr Nat Cary, the pathologist who carried out a second postmortem at the request of the IPCC and Tomlinson’s family, concluded that while there was evidence Tomlinson suffered hardening of the arteries in his heart, it was not serious enough to kill him.

Jules Carey, of Tuckers, the solicitor representing Tomlinson’s family, said today that “the video footage of the unprovoked and vicious assault on Ian by the police officer would easily justify charges of assault being brought against the officer. The findings of Dr Nat Cary significantly increase the likelihood that the officer will now face the more serious charge of manslaughter.”

He said the family had been aware of the findings of the second pathology report for a week and had been forced to endure “continuing reports in the press that Ian died of a heart attack”.

Carey added: “The IPCC opposed the disclosure of Dr Cary’s findings until they satisfied themselves that it would not prejudice their investigation of the officer. It is of some comfort to the family that the record is now being put straight, but they hope that the IPCC investigation will be expedited and thorough, and that there will be a prompt referral to the CPS for charge.”

A statement from the City of London coroners court said: “Dr Cary’s opinion is that the cause of death was abdominal haemorrhage. The cause of the haemorrhage remains to be ascertained. Dr Cary accepts that there is evidence of coronary atherosclerosis but states that in his opinion its nature and extent is unlikely to have contributed to the cause of death.”

The IPCC has previously said CCTV footage showed Tomlinson walking up King William Street after 7pm and approaching one of several police cordons opposite the Bank of England.

Denis O’Connor, the chief inspector of constabulary, who will carry out the review, said this week he would examine all aspects of the Met’s public order policing, including techniques such as kettling – the containment of thousands of protesters inside police cordons for hours at a time.

O’Connor has been called in by the Met commissioner, Sir Paul Stephenson, who said the move had been prompted by concern over policing of the G20 protests. The Met will scour its own surveillance footage of the demonstrations in the City of London to search for further evidence of police misconduct.

Guardian

G20 Police Witnesses IDed: ‘D5’ – City of London Police dog handler A712

Officer D5 (now identified as officer A712) is a dog handler whom we only really see in the picture of Ian Tomlinson staggering off. D5 is just to the right of the fountain, in front of the motorbike parked between it and the building to the right.

D5 also appeared to be involved in the ‘dog attack’ incident on Threadneedle Street shortly before the Ian Tomlinson assault. The pictures taken by Colin McQuillen (which are clear enough to show his shoulder numbers) show him outside the RBS at 62 Threadneedle Street.

Thanks again to Colin McQuillen/TwoThumbsFresh.

G20 Police Witnesses IDed: City of London Police dog handler ‘D4’

Officer D4 is another younger looking dog handler, who appears for the most part to be on the right behind the fountain. Later on he comes further forward. He looks to be in his twenties with close cropped or shaved hair, and of lean build.

D4 also appeared to be involved in the ‘dog attack’ incident on Threadneedle Street shortly before the Ian Tomlinson assault.

Thanks again to Colin McQuillen/TwoThumbsFresh.

[Edited to add links and more information, Thursday 23/4/9]

G20 Police Witnesses IDed: City of London Police dog handler ‘D2’

Officer D2 is the second handler we see, who appears to have walked around the other side of the cycle racks to D1 to meet Tomlinson. He appears to have a radio or phone or some other dark coloured item attached to the left-hand lapel of his hi-viz jacket. He appears to be younger and leaner than D1, possibly in his twenties or early thirties, and appears to have some thin facial hair or thick stubble.

He too uses his dog (a black coated dog) aggressively towards Tomlinson, and can be clearly seen lunging at him, pulling the dog’s lead as he steps behind Tomlinson.

When Officer A strikes Tomlinson with his baton, D2 does not appear to be looking, but by the time of the shove his head seems tilted more in that direction.

By the time Tomlinson staggers off, D2 appears to be positioned to the front and left of the fountain.

Thanks again to Colin McQuillen/TwoThumbsFresh.

[Edited to add links and more information, Thursday 23/4/9]

‘Metropolitan Police attempts to censor Wikipedia over TSG chart’

The above is a photograph of a chart which shows the organisational structure of the Metropolitan Police’s TSG – the Territorial Support Group – which currently faces a shitstorm of scandal due to its officers involvement in widespread violence at the G20 protests, including the death of Ian Tomlinson and the clearance of the peaceful Climate Camp.

The image was posted to the Wikipedia article on the TSG in early March, but following the G20 protests, it appears to have come to the notice of Scotland Yard, which seemingly wishes to censor its publication:

Hello, this is a message from the Metropolitan Police Service. We respect your right to postings, but on this occassion may we please respectfully request that you kindly remove the organisational chart from this page.
We have received a request from TSG CO20 for it to be removed as it is somewhat out of date, and contains officers names which could compromise their safety.
If you would to talk to a member of the Metropolitan Police Service Territorial Support Group to confirm this request, we would be happy to contact you, directly.
Many thanks indeed.
212.74.97.195 (talk) 08:52, 16 April 2009 (UTC)

(Via Wikipedia discussion page for TSG article)

G20 Police Witnesses IDed: City of London Police dog handler ‘D1’

Again, thanks to Colin McQuillen/TwoThumbsFresh.

Remembering the 96 who died, remembering those who survived

Today is the twentieth anniversary of the Hillsborough Disaster.

‘Why?’ by 25th Of May

G20 Police Witnesses IDed: ‘D3’ – City of London dog handler CP788

Meet City of London police dog handler CP788, out giving his pooch a nice urban runaround in the Square Mile during the anti-G20 protests on 1st April.

Let’s have a closer look:

Of course, he may seem rather familiar. Perhaps that’s because you remember him lurking in the background of the Ian Tomlinson assault?

Or perhaps you’ve seen the footage of him setting his hound on protesters:

[Pics and video to be added]

Many thanks to Colin McQuillen/TwoThumbsFresh for wading through the pics, digging out the hi-res images and identifying ‘D3′ as CP788.

G20 Police Witnesses IDed: Was FIT Cop PC Alan Palfrey EK127 there?

Above is a picture of PC Alan Palfrey (shoulder number EK127), taken at the Saturday 28th March anti-G20 march, as published on the FITwatch blog. I have cut out enlarged portions of the original full-size picture to make some details more easy to notice.

As you can see, he is wearing a hi-viz jacket which, whilst not bearing the usual Forward Intelligence Team blue flashing over the chest, does still bear the FIT blue colours in the checker board pattern running along the bottom edge, in the cross hatching over the fluorescent strips, and on the panel over the back (visible over his left shoulder).

You can also see the distinctive facial hair he was wearing just four days prior to the deadly assault on Ian Tomlinson: a neatly trimmed ‘Van Dyck’ or Colonel Sanders-type combination of moustache and some kind of goatee.

Take note also of his glasses, which are also clearly visible in the other, earlier, undated picture of Palfrey (see right – also taken from FITwatch). In that picture it is also easy to see how he appears to favour a particularly tight knot in his tie.

Now consider these pictures from the assault by a Metropolitan Police TSG constable on Ian Tomlinson on 1st April. They are enlarged extracts from various pieces of video footage and stills photographs of the incident, focusing on an individual officer labelled in recent posts as ‘F1′:

ETA:

This whole post is based on the lead provided by the FITwatch bloggers, who named PC Alan Palfrey as one of those FIT officers present at the Ian Tomlinson assault, so full credit to them.

Please do check out the FITwatch blog and support the work of FITwatching – not a single group, but an activity. If YOU do not watch the FIT, who else will?

‘G20 death cop’ on the sick

Previously I tried to locate where TSG 5 – one of the units involved in the clearance of the Climate Camp – was based. Someone had named ‘Larkhall Road’ as the address, but there was no street of that name in London, so I made a guess of it being the nearby Clapham Police Station.

Well, today the Mail is reporting that the TSG officer who assaulted Ian Tomlinson shortly before his death is based at… Larkhall Lane. So I revisited Street View and Google Earth and came up with this – a huge building with a large car park and a very secure set of gates, with nothing to give away that it is a major police depot save for the natty blue paint job.

Says the Mail:

The building, which is protected by a 6ft-high fence and security gates, houses more than 100 TSG officers and administrative staff.

Says a webpage about a London walk:

On the corner stands a very well-secured premises. There’s a heavy gate in Union Road (the only entrance, despite a long and very high wall down Larkhall Lane itself), formidable bright blue-painted railings, and spiky yucca plants. The only sign says ‘157 Larkhall Lane’, but the many vehicles parked in the deep parking lot, which runs the length of the office building, give the game away: this is some kind of police depot which does not want to advertise itself.

Finally, there is confirmation via, of all things, the Lambeth Community Police Consultative Group, which even provides the full address – 157 Larkhall Lane, London SW4 6RE (though the main entrance is by the yard facing onto Union Road. CCTV covers the doors on Larkhall Lane itself. Ironically a shop called CRS nestles next to it on the corner of Smedley Street and Larkhall Lane.) Apparently there was a ‘Meet the TSG’ open day last November.

So apologies for the confusion, I’m sorry I got it wrong.

Here’s what it looks like, from the air and the road:

Anyway, it should be interesting to see how this pans out. Interesting to see that TSG5 officers were involved in both the death of Ian Tomlinson and the violent cleance of Climate Camp on the same evening. It would appear that Chief Inspector John Dale (if he is still in command) has a lot of explaining to do.

G20 Police Witnesses IDed: ‘C1’ – City of London Police Officer 204

The process of identifying the police witnesses (and possible accomplices) to the deadly assault on Ian Tomlinson in Royal Exchange Passage close to Cornhill is bearing fruit.

Says commenter Colin McQuillen:

C1 is officer 204. I have a sequence of him rushing and attacking an innocent photographer moments before the attack on Ian Tomlinson. The officer then turned for me – but noticed I was taking loads of photos of him…

I will look through the rest of my photos tonight and update. Great work.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3350/3422467153_16d8295b4b_o.jpg

From the picture Colin has linked to above, and by looking through the rest of his photos from the G20 protests (an important body of testimonial work), I believe we can more clearly get a picture of what the officer I labelled below as ‘C1′, and whom Colin has IDed as officer 204 of the City of Londson Police, looks like.

Here’s a composite based on two extracts from the Channel 4 News ‘broken camera’ footage and two of Colin’s pictures:

If anyone can put a name to the face and/or number, or can bear witness to his activities on the day, previously or since, then please do get in touch. Please also spread this information.

If the police cannot police themselves, then we must do it. If we don’t, then next time it could be us lying lifeless in the gutter.

PS

Colin has a selection of pictures featuring CoL cop 204 at G20 on his TwoThumbsFresh Flickr:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/twothumbsfresh/3424308595/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/twothumbsfresh/3425116274/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/twothumbsfresh/3425115732/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/twothumbsfresh/3425115116/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/twothumbsfresh/3425114456/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/twothumbsfresh/3425113842/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/twothumbsfresh/3425113170/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/twothumbsfresh/3424304279/

FYI: G20 posts on this blog

Posts about G20 on Bristle’s Blog From The BunKRS:

Monday 30th March

• G20 terror plot foiled! Or, How The Police Justify Their Existence With Loud Headlines Now (Quiet Apologies Later)

Tuesday 31st March

• The G20 Bomb Plot (That Isn’t A Bomb Plot) Trundles On!
• Sinister tycoon funds incitement to riot over G20 summit!

Thursday 2nd April

• Police brutality at peaceful Climate Camp In The City on G20 Day 1

Friday 3rd April

• Watching the police: Attack on the G20 Climate Camp (part 1)

Sunday 5th April

• Watching the police: Attack on the G20 Climate Camp (part 2)

Tuesday 7th April

• The Guardian: ‘Police murdered Ian Tomlinson’
• Q: How many laughing policemen does it take to kill an innocent bystander?
• Police medics: Just out creating demand
• Alexis, Ian; Athens, London – wherever you are, wherever you go, a cop is a cop is a cop

Wednesday 8th April

• Fighting FIT: Police Forward Intelligence Teams and the death of Ian Tomlinson
• Policing by consent, 2009-style: A kick to a dying man?
• London paper-sellers & Brazilian electricians – an overwhelming sense of déjà vu…
• “Daddy, what did YOU do during the policing of G20?”

Thursday 9th April

• TOLD YOU SO: Plymouth ‘G20 bomb plot that wasn’t a bomb plot’ 5 released without charge
• Guardian: Were YOU injured by G20 police?
• G20 BorisWatch

Saturday 11th April

• If the police officers who witnesses the assault on Ian Tomlinson will not come forward voluntarily, then we ourselves must drag them into the public arena
• Notes on the police witnesses to Ian Tomlinson’ deadly assault
• G20 Police Witnesses IDed: ‘C1′ – City of London Police Officer 204

Notes on the police witnesses to Ian Tomlinson’s deadly assault

Following on from the lengthy picture post below, I present some text notes on those pictured and labelled. If I have mislabelled an officer, or missed out a glaringly obvious thing, please do let me know so I can amend.

As I work through all the material I will post up the clearest pictures of those described here to help aid identification.

Many thanks.

‘A’

Officer A is the cop who struck Ian Tomlinson with a baton, and who then gave him a violent two-handed shove to the ground. Officer A reportedly came forward on the night of Wednesday 8th April – one whole week since the death of Ian Tomlinson.

Officer A is a member of the Metropolitan Police Territorial Support Group (TSG).

In the footage of the Tomlinson assault, Officer A appears to be wearing a standard issue riot duty boilersuit beneath a hi-viz police jacket, as well as a black balaclava covering his face (including his nose), and a visored ‘Nato’ riot helmet. He does not appear to be wearing identification numbers on his epaulettes -he does not appear to be wearing epaulettes at all – or elsewhere.

Judging by his baton strike, and how he holds his baton subsequent to the assault on Ian Tomlinson, Officer A is left-handed.

Officer A was also involved in the ‘dog attack’ incident on Threadneedle Street which occurred shortly because the Tomlinson assault at the other end of Royal Exchange Buildings.

[ETA:] In a report on the 22nd April, Channel 4 News’ Simon Israel stated that they believed that officer ‘A’ had been involved in 4 discrete violent incidents in the ten minutes or so before Ian Tomlinson died. They identified him by location and by five identifying features as cross-referenced over various pieces of video footage. Those five identifying features were: balaclava, left-handed, no gloves, no shield, and jacket tucked into trousers. They additionally identified him by the unit identifier on the helmet of the officer they believe to be ‘A’ in earlier incidents – U41, or serial 1 of TSG4 (which – if the Territorial Support Group organisational chart is up to date – is led by one Inspector Dyer).

‘C’

Officer C1 (now identified as officer 204) is a (possibly riot-trained) City of London officer seen mostly to the right of the scene. We can only really see him in the Channel 4 News footage and the still of Ian Tomlinson staggering off. C1 wears a black boilersuit but no hi-viz jacket, and a City of London Police red-and-white checkerboard flat cap. He stands just to the rear and left of the fountain, ahead of F5 but behind the dog handlers D4 and D2. He has his baton raised over his right shoulder in strike ready pose. Judging by the positions of the other officers at various times, C1 appears to have a clear view of where Mr Tomlinson was struck and of where he was pushed, and is around 10-20 feet away from the assault at its various stages.

C1 was also involved in the ‘dog attack’ incident on Threadneedle Street shortly before the Ian Tomlinson assault, and was heavily involved in the ‘photographer attack’ incident on Royal Exchange Buildings.

‘D’

The City of London Police dog handlers are identifiable by their flat caps (with white-and-red checker board pattern) and by the fact that they are handling dogs. By the end of the scene, it seems clear that there are at least five dog handlers and dogs. Most or all of them were also involved in the earlier ‘dog attack’ incident to the north of Royal Exchange Buildings on Threadneedle Street.

Officer D1 is the first officer we see in the sequence of pictures. He advances towards Cornhill between the bicycle racks and the Mont Blanc shop (to the left of the picture), gripping his dog lead in his left hand and baton in his right. Like the other dog handlers he wears a hi-viz jacket. He seems older than thirty, has close cropped or shaved hair, and is of heavy build. His dog is a sandy coloured German Shepherd with black muzzle and black tail.

D1 seems to meet Ian Tomlinson first. His dog snarls at Tomlinson from behind him and to his right. He has a clear view of Officer A’s baton strike and two-handed push. After Tomlinson hits the ground, he simply stands watching, set back between the first and second bollards on the Mont Blanc side.

Officer D2 is the second handler we see, who appears to have walked around the other side of the cycle racks to D1 to meet Tomlinson. He appears to have a radio or phone or some other dark coloured item attached to the left-hand lapel of his hi-viz jacket. He appears to be younger and leaner than D1, possibly in his twenties or early thirties, and appears to have some thin facial hair or thick stubble.

He too uses his dog (a black coated dog) aggressively towards Tomlinson, and can be clearly seen lunging at him, pulling the dog’s lead as he steps behind Tomlinson.

When Officer A strikes Tomlinson with his baton, D2 does not appear to be looking, but by the time of the shove his head seems tilted more in that direction.

By the time Tomlinson staggers off, D2 appears to be positioned to the front and left of the fountain.

D2 also appeared to be involved in the ‘dog attack’ incident on Threadneedle Street shortly before the Ian Tomlinson assault.

Officer D3 (now identified as officer CP788) by his manner seems to be the lead dog handler. He is older than most of the other dog handlers (except possibly D1), and thicker set. He is clearly identifiable by the black harness he wears over his hi-viz jacket, and by virtue of his habit of looping a long lead over his left shoulder and around the trunk of his body. He has a mobile phone or radio strapped on the left side of his chest.

As the incident unfolds, he appears to be positioned to the back and right, somewhere behind F5 and the fountain, and with F1 ahead of him and to his right. As he watches Tomlinson being helped by civilians, he looks over, then moves forward (to F5?), before coming over with his dog (dark coated with a big lolling tongue). By the end of the sequence, he and his dog are in the middle and front of the mouth of Royal Exchange Buildings.

D3 was also involved in the ‘dog attack’ incident on Threadneedle Street shortly before the Ian Tomlinson assault.

Officer D4 is another younger looking dog handler, who appears for the most part to be on the right behind the fountain. Later on he comes further forward. He looks to be in his twenties with close cropped or shaved hair, and of lean build.

D4 also appeared to be involved in the ‘dog attack’ incident on Threadneedle Street shortly before the Ian Tomlinson assault.

Officer D5 (now identified as officer A712) is a dog handler whom we only really see in the picture of Ian Tomlinson staggering off. D5 is just to the right of the fountain, in front of the motorbike parked between it and the building to the right.

D5 also appeared to be involved in the ‘dog attack’ incident on Threadneedle Street shortly before the Ian Tomlinson assault. The pictures taken by Colin McQuillen (which are clear enough to show his shoulder numbers) show him outside the RBS at 62 Threadneedle Street.

‘F’

Coming up Royal Exchange Buildings towards Cornhill behind the TSG officers are a group of shieldless officers in riot helmets and hi-viz jackets marked with blue flashing. These types of jacket are generally worn by public order specialists of the Forward Intelligence Teams (FIT officers). Because the cameras tend to follow the actions happening around Ian Tomlinson, and because these (possible) FIT officers begin the scene further back, it is not entirely clear how many of them there are. However, I would say that there are at least five – one who is mostly in the middle of the mouth of Royal Exchange Buildings, often by Officer A; two who are mostly behind the TSG officers to the left; and at least two more to the far right.

Officer F1 (preliminarily identified as Camden-based part-time FIT officer EK127 Alan Palfrey) appears to be of at least average height. He wears a white shirt and black tie beneath his blue flashed hi-viz jacket. He wears a visored Nato helmet with chinstrap, but no balaclava. The numbers on his epaulettes are not clear enough to read in the footage. He clearly has a moustache, and possibly a goatee beard or similar.

Officer F1 appears for the most part located somewhere between the third bollard from the left, the fountain to the front, and the bicycle racks and red telephone boxes behind.

As the sequence of events unfolds, Officer F1 appears to be following Officer A down Royal Exchange Passage Buildings towards Cornhill. Officer A carries his baton in a striking pose, resting over his left shoulder, as he walks down. The baton would have been in plain sight to Officer F1. The pictures indicate that Officer F1 is looking directly at Officer A’s baton strike on Ian Tomlinson.

After Mr Tomlinson is felled, Officer F1 remains where he is, but watches Alan Edwards help him. He also seems to look round at Officer A, who has by now positioned himself behind him, baton again rested in strike pose over the left shoulder. He then looks to his left, in the direction of the other two (or more) blue flashed officers to the right of shot, behinds the fountain.

As Tomlinson staggers off, Officer F1 is looking in the direction of the Channel 4 News ITN camera.

Officer F2 is not someone we see much of. He appears to be slightly ahead of F1 as the police head towards Cornhill, and is for the most part positioned out of sight. F2 wears blue flashed hi-viz jacket, visored Nato helmet, white shirt, black tie, no balaclava, and might be shorter than F1. Epaulettes are worn but numbers are not clear.

Officers F3 and F4 sweep up Royal Exchange Buildings behinds the TSG trio on the left. Both wear blue flashed hi-viz jacket, visored riot helmet, white shirt and black tie, and no balaclava.

F4 advances towards Ian Tomlinson before the assault with his baton drawn and held in his right hand. The pictures suggest that even if he did not see the baton strike, he certainly witnesses the two-handed shove.

F3 is closer to the Mont Blanc shop, and clearly sees Ian Tomlinson landing badly directly in front of him. He advances on Tomlinson as he lies on the ground – baton also gripped in his right hand – and appears to look intently at him or talk to him, and perhaps even kicks him or pokes him with his right foot, before turning and walking back behind the TSG trio, and talking to his colleague F4 as civilian onlookers come to help Ian Tomlinson. After consulting with F4, F3 turns across and looks directly across the mouth of Royal Exchange Buildings in the direction of the other blue flashed officers to the far right, much as F1 does at around the same time or later – as if looking towards a senior officer for instructions.

Finally, Officer F5 is the blue flashed hi-viz jacket officer to the far right of the scene. He seems to be nestled behind the fountain, along with some unidentified people. After the assault on Ian Tomlinson, Officers A, F1 and F3 can all be seen looking in the direction of F5. After Ian Tomlinson staggers off, Officer A walks over to speak to F5.

‘T’

To the left of the scene is a trio that we might reasonably assume are also TSG officers. They wear black boiler suits, hi-viz jackets and visored Nato helmets, and also carry circular acrylic glass riot shields. All three appear to be wearing epaulettes, and at least T1 and T2 definitely appear to have numbers on them, though in none of the pictures currently available is it possible to read those numbers.

All three are to the left of shot as Officer A assaults Ian Tomlinson. Ian Tomlinson is batoned and then pushed over directly in front of T2 and T3. The reactions of all three indicated that they saw what happened, as their heads follow the falling Mr Tomlinson to the ground. For most of the footage, all three are positioned to the far left of the picture, between the Mont Blanc shop and the cast iron bollard closest to it.

Officer T1 seems to be of average or taller than average height. He wears a black balaclava over his face beneath his helmet, with the opening pulled to just below his nose. He is armed with a thick, all-black baton, and an acrylic glass riot shield identifiable by the black plates bolted to its rear, which form an octagon overlaid with a vertical rectangle. Finally, he wears a small round badge of some description on his right-hand jacket lapel.

Officer T2 seems to be somewhat shorter than the other officers, and might be a female officer. T2’s shield is noticeable for it’s black ‘t-bar’ grip. T2 uses a thinner-tipped ASP baton, the shaft of which is mostly metallic in colour, with a ‘drumstick’ tip. T2 wears a black balaclava pulled down to just below the nose.

Officer T3 appears to be of the same rough height as T1, but possibly a little bulkier. He has a ruddy complexion, and seems to be in his mid-late thirties at the youngest, possibly older. His riot shield has the same ‘octagon + rectangle’ black plates as T1. He does not wear a balaclava, but clearly has his Nato helmet chin strap on.

‘U’

Miscellaneous officers are milling around further back towards Threadneedle Street (where we can clearly see numerous vans), but there are also a handful of officers much closer, though perhaps not easily recognisable.

Officer U1 wears a hi-viz jacket, but does not seem to wear any headgear. He stands alone, on the left hand side, around twenty foot behind the TSG/F3/F4 group by Mont Blanc.

He was also involved in the ‘photographer attack’ incident on Royal Exchange Buildings.

He was present in the background during the incident which was closely followed by Ian Tomlinson’s death, lurking for the most part on the west side of Royal Exchange Buildings, behind the trio of Level 2 Met officers (’T1′-’T3′) and two suspected Forward Intelligence Team members (’F3′ and ’F4′).

Throughout he could be seen talking into or listening to the radio unit on the left side of his jacket collar. He could also be seen doing the same during the ‘photographer attack’ incident, when City of London officer 204 (aka ‘C1′) assaulted a snapper. It is from this incident that the clearer pictures of ‘U1′ (as captured by Colin McQuillen/TwoThumbsFresh*) are taken.

Officer U1 is clearly identifiable by his lack of headgear, his City of London hi-vis jacket (with red-and-white checkerboard), his silvery grey hair (parted to the left) and matching moustache, and the distinctive black patch or strap over his jacket’s right breast.

One thing which is a lot clearer in Colin’s photos than in the video is the detail on the epaulettes. Without being able to conclusively identify what is on them, the item towards the middle of the epaulette on his right shoulder looks too substantial to be letters, suggesting that it might be a pip or a crown. Two pips indicate an Inspector, a pip and a crown a Chief Superintendent.

U2 wears no headgear and seems to be in a black or dark coloured jacket, boilersuit or similar. He appears to be balding or to have close-cropped hair. He stands near to F5 behind the fountain.

It is by no means clear that he is a police officer, but he definitely seems to be standing within the cluster of police officers behind the fountain without suffering any harassment, unlike Ian Tomlinson.

U3 wears a hi-viz jacket, but seemingly no headgear. He can be briefly seen near U2 by the fountain as Ian Tomlinson staggers off.

As with U2, it is not clear whether U3 is a police officer, but he definitely seems to be standing within the cluster of police officers behind the fountain without suffering any harassment, unlike Ian Tomlinson.

[Edited for typos and greater clarity, Monday 13/4/9]

[Edited to correct 'Royal Exchange Passage' to 'Royal Exchange Buildings, Thursday 16/4/9]

[Edited to add links and more information, Thursday 23/4/9]

Much of the work here was the result of information, pictures or help provided by others, including Colin McQuillen, Jason Sands, itsafitup, FITwatch and others.

If the police officers who witnessed the assault on Ian Tomlinson will not come forward voluntarily, then we ourselves must drag them into the public arena

Tonight I have been working through all the photographs and video of the attack on Ian Tomlinson that was witnessed shortly before his death.

I have taken as many screengrabs as possible, and attempted to identify what officers were in the shot at any one time. So far, we are told, just four officers in total have come forward. As these pictures show, there are at least eighteen police officers close enough to see what happened last Wednesday on Royal Exchange Buildings by Cornhill.

I hope that these pictures might help jog the memory of someone – anyone – who was in London that day. Perhaps you took a photograph of a policeman whom you think you recognise here – a photograph which is clearer, perhaps even showing a number on an epaulette or a helmet. Please do check through your pictures and compare them with these.

Or maybe you weren’t in London on the 1st of April, but you happen to recognise a relative, or an acquaintance from your local, or a neighbour. If you do, please don’t just leave it be.

If enough people – ordinary people, people like us – take the time and trouble to hold those responsible (through their action or their inaction) for the death of Ian Tomlinson, force them to come forward and be held accountable, then we might – just might – help prevent this happening again, only next time to your father, my mother, our friends, our loved ones. Don’t leave it to the IPCC.

Anyway, here are the pictures.

Some caveats:

• I cannot guarantee that I have accurately tracked each individual officer, but I have tried my best. The low angle in particular makes it difficult to judge depth, and the Guardian film in particular tracks what is going on to Ian Tomlinson, not the police milling around in the background. I have tried to use the still photos and the Channel 4 News footage to guide the identification by context.
• To try and make things easier, I have batched together different types of police officer – see the key below for more details.
• Where civilians cross the shot, I have mostly left them out of the identification process, except where they have a direct involvement in the incident.

Key:

• A = The police officer who actually assaults Ian Tomlinson (1)
• C = City of London TSG (riot) officers (1)
• D = City of London dog handlers (5)
• F = Officers wearing hi-viz jackets with blue flashing, which is associated with the Forward Intelligence Teams (FIT cops) (5)
• T = Metropolitan Police TSG (riot) officers (though they might be Level 2 trained regular police, they are wearing riot gear) (3)
• U = Unidentified uniformed officers (3)

• IT = Ian Tomlinson, the man who died after being clubbed and pushed to the ground by police
• AE = Alan Edwards, who witnessed the attack and helped Ian Tomlinson to his feet (I assume that this is Alan Edwards based on his actions captured on camera, which match the actions ascribed to him in subsequent newspaper interviews)
• UW = Unidentified witnesses, who come into contact with the other principals

Source material:

• Mainly The Guardian’s ‘American tourist’ video;
• ITN’s ‘broken camera’ Channel 4 News footage, resized up to 500 pixels wide;
• Three Alex Cudby pictures posted on Flickr (black border cropped and levels lightened), resized down to 500 pixels wide;
• Some higher resolution web-scavenged stills from the ‘American tourist’ video than I could get off my copy, resized up to 500 pixels wide;
• Kris Sime’s black and white photo of Ian Tomlinson lying on the ground, resized up to 500 pixels wide;
• and Jasper Jackson’s photo of Ian Tomlinson staggering off afterwards, resized up to 500 pixels wide

PS I appreciate that is a lengthy post. After a few days I intend to replace most of the photographs with a link to a Flickr album, where I will archive all of them, plus the originals from which they were taken.

G20 BorisWatch

Can anyone point me in the direction of a Telegraph story on the death of Ian Tomlinson that doesn’t end with this paragraph:

Boris Johnson, the London mayor, is pressing for a “speedy and thorough” inquiry by the police complaints body, his chief spokesman said. He said the mayor had watched the footage and had been seriously concerned by what he saw.

Cheers.

London paper-sellers & Brazilian electricians – an overwhelming sense of déjà vu…

Policing by consent, 2009-style: A kick to a dying man?

Have a look at this sequence of stills from the Ian Tomlinson assault video. Does it look to you like the officer in the hi-viz jacket with blue flashing – possibly a FIT cop – kicks or prods Ian Tomlinson with his foot as he lies prone on the ground?

Many officers who were present at the assault that may have led to Ian Tomlinson’s death have not come forward to speak with the Independent Police Complaints Commission. The suspicion lingers that none would have come forward had video footage of Ian Tomlinson being battered to the ground by a policeman been released by a newspaper six full days after he died.

That the IPCC initially called in the City of London Police to investigate the death of Ian Tomlinson – despite CoL cops being a large part of the G20 policing operation – did nothing to inspire public confidence in the objectivity and thoroughness of the enquiry.

The subsequent emergence of the video – in which City of London police officers are clearly visible, witnessing the assault on Ian Tomlinson – only helped to fan the flames of anger and distrust.

The IPCC has now pulled the CoL cops off the investigation. But is that enough to convince people that this will not be a sham, a whitewash, a cover-up?

Fighting FIT: Police Forward Intelligence Teams and the death of Ian Tomlinson

So, are these FIT officers? There are several more milling about in the Ian Tomlinson assault video, but it’s a bit too choppy to see much on the YouTube version.

Commenter Ed on Ian Bone’s blog has suggested that Stephen Discombe CO2558 might be present.

Any thoughts?

G20 police medics: Just out creating demand

Spotted on an IndyMedia article about police apologising to photographers for abuse of powers at event in memory of Ian Tomlinson at G20 protests.

ETA:

The original of the police medic picture appears to be by amjamjazz. Good snap.

My posts on G20:

Monday 30th March

• G20 terror plot foiled! Or, How The Police Justify Their Existence With Loud Headlines Now (Quiet Apologies Later)

Tuesday 31st March

• The G20 Bomb Plot (That Isn’t A Bomb Plot) Trundles On!
• Sinister tycoon funds incitement to riot over G20 summit!

Thursday 2nd April

• Police brutality at peaceful Climate Camp In The City on G20 Day 1

Friday 3rd April

• Watching the police: Attack on the G20 Climate Camp (part 1)

Sunday 5th April

• Watching the police: Attack on the G20 Climate Camp (part 2)

Tuesday 7th April

• The Guardian: ‘Police murdered Ian Tomlinson’
• Q: How many laughing policemen does it take to kill an innocent bystander?
• Police medics: Just out creating demand
• Alexis, Ian; Athens, London – wherever you are, wherever you go, a cop is a cop is a cop

Q: How many laughing policemen does it take to kill an innocent bystander?

In the Guardian video it is clear that at least three officers – other than the one who actually assaults Ian Tomlinson – appear to be looking directly at the events unfolding before them.

As Ian Tomlinson lies on the ground (see picture above) he appears to be talking to the police officers in the picture above. One of them seems to be a FIT officer. The FIT officer seems to kick or prod Ian Tomlinson with his foot before walking back behind the other police officers.

How many of these police officers freely volunteered any information about the circumstances of Mr Tomlinson’s death? How many of them will pay for his death? Who will be held to account for the lies and half-truths put out by the police?

PS

An anonymous commenter on an early blog post made the following remarks:

You’ll also notice that the officers pictured here: http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2009/4/6/1239007647655/Ian-Tomlinson-lies-on-the-001.jpg

bare a resemblance to the officers here:
http://inapcache.boston.com/universal/site_graphics/blogs/bigpicture/g20_04_03/g29_18506895.jpg

Those pictures are:

And the picture from the top of the post:

(Both pics resized to 500 pixel width.)

I’m not sure it’s possible to say with certainty that anonymous is right or wrong.

My posts on G20:

Monday 30th March

• G20 terror plot foiled! Or, How The Police Justify Their Existence With Loud Headlines Now (Quiet Apologies Later)

Tuesday 31st March

• The G20 Bomb Plot (That Isn’t A Bomb Plot) Trundles On!
• Sinister tycoon funds incitement to riot over G20 summit!

Thursday 2nd April

• Police brutality at peaceful Climate Camp In The City on G20 Day 1

Friday 3rd April

• Watching the police: Attack on the G20 Climate Camp (part 1)

Sunday 5th April

• Watching the police: Attack on the G20 Climate Camp (part 2)

Tuesday 7th April

• The Guardian: ‘Police murdered Ian Tomlinson’
• Q: How many laughing policemen does it take to kill an innocent bystander?
• Police medics: Just out creating demand
• Alexis, Ian; Athens, London – wherever you are, wherever you go, a cop is a cop is a cop