Comment on the inquest verdict
Commenting on the inquest verdict, Ian’s son Paul King said:
Family solicitor Jules Carey of Tuckers Solicitors said:
After two years we are really grateful that the inquest process has made such a strong statement about how Ian died. We are grateful to the coroner and the jury and we think that the jury finding speaks for itself. We hope that the DPP will consider what the jury has said and the evidence that has come out and we are looking forward to the next stage in our search for justice for Ian.
Deborah Coles, Co-Director of INQUEST, said:
Today’s decision is a huge relief to Mr Tomlinson’s family. To many, today’s verdict will seem like a statement of the blindingly obvious; however this fails to take account of the significant and many obstacles faced by the family over the last two years to get to this decision. The CPS will now review whether a prosecution will be brought following today’s verdict and the way in which the evidence has been clarified during the inquest process.
Press release from INQUEST
The damning finding of the jury that excessive and unreasonable force unlawfully killed Ian Tomlinson must result in an urgent review by the DPP of the new evidence that has emerged. For too long there has been a pattern of cases where inquest juries have found overwhelming evidence of unlawful and excessive use of force or gross neglect and yet no police officer has been held responsible. It is vital that the rule of law is upheld and applies equally to all, including police officers, and that they do not believe that they can act with impunity. This jury’s findings in this case demonstrate the vital importance of a properly conducted and resourced inquest process.