Inquest Day 3: 30th March 2011: Summary points

Witnesses, either giving evidence in person or via their statements being read out, included:

• PC Gareth Edwards, the driver of a police van who encountered Ian in Lombard Street. who described how it is important only to use force that is necessary.

• Warren Fraser, who witnessed Ian on Lombard Street. His statement described physical contact between Ian and the police on Lombard Street but he did not think Ian was injured during this encounter.

• James Stone, whose statement described the contact between Ian and the police on Lombard Street as reasonably gentle.

• PC Neil Finnis, another Lombard Street witness.

• PS (Police Sergeant) Emma Shaw, part of the police Territorial Support Group (TSG), who was PC Harwood’s supervisor on April 1st 2009. The TSG’s remit includes public order situations. She described the training received and PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) used by members of TSG. During training, TSG officers are informed they have to justify their own use of force. She spoke about the importance of officers having visible epaulettes – the shoulder badges that identify who an officer is. She described how briefings prior to the G20 were to instruct officers of their role to facilitate protest. She described how officers are expected to fill out Evidence and Action Books at the end of the day to note any use of force. PC Harwood’s role on the day was to be as the driver of a van carrier. On the evening of April 1st she saw PC Harwood and the events he made her aware of related to being separated from his van during the day whilst trying to make an arrest.

Inquest Day 2: 29th March 2011: Summary points

• Today the evidence started in front of a jury.

• The Coroner gave his opening remarks, describing the route Ian took after leaving the newspaper stand where he worked on 1st April 2009 and how he encountered police cordons that prevented him making his way north from Monument station. He explained the role of an inquest and how it differs from either criminal or civil processes. He explained that the Crown Prosecution Service had made a previous decision not to prosecute but this was provisional and not necessarily final.

• Footage showing the final moments of Ian were shown, pieced together from CCTV, handheld cameras and police aerial video. Ian was seen being turned away by two police cordons. Two sets of footage were shown of Ian being pushed from behind by PC (Police Constable) Simon Harwood. Ian was seen to be helped back to his feet by a member of the public. Footage taken about 3 minutes later showed him collapsed nearby receiving attention from medical student Lucy Apps.

• Compilation footage was shown of PC Harwood on April 1st 2009, including moments of physical contact with other people present at the protest, prior to his contact with Ian.

• Witnesses included Julia Tomlinson (Ian’s widow) and Paul King (stepson) who described their memories of Ian as a husband and father. Other witnesses were newspaper seller Barry Smith, PC Andrew Brown and PC Dean Cocks. PC Dean Cocks, who was positioned in Lombard Street and encountered Ian, described the importance of using verbal communication before force.

Inquest Day 1: 28th March 2011: Summary points

The inquest into the death of Ian Tomlinson opened.

Inquest Witness Timetable

The following outlines the expected dates that witnesses will give evidence. This is inevitably subject to change - check the official inquest website for revisions.

WEEK ONE

Monday 28th March

Keith Tagg (Independent Police Complaints Commission)
Tracy McCloskey (Fingerprint identification of Ian Tomlinson)
Julia Tomlinson

Tuesday 29th March

Site visit

Isaura Abbas (Hotel Manager)
Barry Smith (Newspaper seller)
PC Andrew Brown (Verbal contact with Ian Tomlinson in King William Street)
PC Gareth Edwards (Driver of van in Lombard Street)
PC Dean Cocks (Moved Ian Tomlinson in Lombard Street)
Warren Fraser (Witnessed Lombard Street contact)
James Stone (Witnessed Lombard Street contact)
PC Neil Finnis (Moved Ian Tomlinson in Lombard Street)
PC Julie Bridges (Verbal contact with Ian Tomlinson in Change Alley)
PS Emma Shaw (Briefings) - may not be called until 30th March

Wednesday 30th March

PS Emma Shaw (Briefings) - May be called on 29th March
PC Andrew Hayes (Witnessed attempted arrest by PC Harwood)
PC Alexander Jackaman (Briefings and witnessed attempted arrest)
Anthony Fallshaw (Cameraman pulled to the ground)
Chief Superintendent Alexander Robertson (Role of Police and dogs in Royal Exchange Buildings area only)
Christopher La Jaunie (Video footage of Ian Tomlinson)

Thursday 31st March

Alan Edwards (Assisted Ian Tomlinson)
Joshua Fenech (Assisted Ian Tomlinson)
Robert Fitch (Witnessed contact between Ian Tomlinson and Police in Royal Exchange Buildings)
PC Kerry Smith (Witnessed contact)
PC Nick Jackson (Witnessed contact)
PC Jonathan Bish (Dog handler) - May not be called until 1st April
PC Steven Discombe (Witnessed contact) - May not be called until 1st April)

Friday 1st April

Catching up with evidence or not sitting.

WEEK TWO

Monday 4th April

Inspector Timothy Williams (I/C TSG)
PC Simon Harwood

Tuesday 5th April

PC Simon Harwood
Kamran Saleem (Witnessed Ian Tomlinson’s collapse)
Daniel Boettcher (Witnessed Ian Tomlinson’s collapse)
Lucy Apps (Medical Student who assisted Ian Tomlinson)
Peter Apps (Witnessed Ian Tomlinson’s condition)

Wednesday 6th April

Daniel MacPhee (Called ambulance and assisted Ian Tomlinson)
PS Rosario Stumpo (I/C Police Medics)
PS Stuart Rogers (Police Medic)
PC Carolyn Waller (Police Medic)
PS Richard Galvin
PC Guy Price
Martin Bowdler (London Ambulance Service Bronze Commander)
Karen Miskowvicz (LAS Paramedic)
Darren O’Rourke (LAS Paramedic)

Thursday 7th April

Matthew Thomas (LAS Paramedic)
Mark Scott (LAS Paramedic)
Rob Silcock (North West Ambulance Service)
Neve Mellett (LAS Emergency Medical Technician)
David McNally (NWAS - re care in Ambulance)
Sarah Murphy (Treatment at hospital)
Dr. Gareth Grier (Treatment at hospital / pronounced death)
Dr. David Vasserman (General Practitioner re Ian Tomlinson’s medical history and previous hospital treatment)

Friday 8th April

Catch up with evidence, and

Dr. Paul Ugwu (General Practitioner re own consultations with Ian Tomlinson)

WEEK THREE

Monday 11th April

Dr. Freddy Patel (Post Mortem Examination)

Toxicology / Histology Results

Tuesday 12th April

Dr. N. Cary (Post Mortem Examination)
DS Antony Crampton
John Cockram
Stephen Dean
Barry Tuckfield

Wednesday 13th April

Dr. Shorrock (Post Mortem Examination)
Dr. Ben Swift (Post Mortem Examination)

Thursday 14th April

Dr Graeme Alexander (Medical Expert)
Dr Mary Sheppard (Medical Expert)

Friday 15th April

Prof Williamson (Medical Expert)

WEEK FOUR

Monday 18th April

Dave Oliver (Report re PC Harwood’s contact with Ian Tomlinson)
PS Ian Roderick or PS David Little (Report re use of Police Dogs)

Forensic evidence re Ian Tomlinson’s track suit trousers

Attending the Ian Tomlinson Inquest: Information for the public

The inquest into the death of Ian Tomlinson, who died during the G20 protests in 2009, will commence on Monday 28 March 2011 and is expected to last for of 5-6 weeks. It is expected to sit from Monday to Thursday from 10.00am – 4.00pm. The family welcomes supporters to attend.

An inquest is a legal investigation that is open to the public. Its purpose is to establish who the person was and where, when and how they died.

The inquest will be conducted by the Chief Coroner, Judge Peter Thornton QC, who replaces the City of London Coroner Paul Matthews. Hearings will take place at the International Dispute Resolution Centre at 70 Fleet Street, London, EC4Y 1EU.


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First day

If you are attending on the first day it is recommended that you arrive at 9.00am.

Seating

At the time of posting this article, we still await the City of London Corporation to set up a dedicated website giving full details about the inquest including information for the public around entry. We will provide a link to this when it becomes available. In the meantime, we are providing some general information about what to expect and will amend this as further details become available:

Seats for the court are likely to be allocated on a first come, first served basis.

There will also be a separate ‘link room’, in addition to the court room, with a live audio-visual link.

It is anticipated that one-day seating passes for the court will be issued. To avoid disappointment it is advisable to arrive at 9:00am to queue for these. It is also likely that there will be some delays as a result of a security and bag check. Given the size of courtrooms and the need to accommodate interested persons, the jury and media representatives, seating spaces in the public gallery will be limited.

Those attending the inquest should anticipate that both the courtroom and the link-room are likely to be subject to the same restrictions as would apply to other courts. It is anticipated that when the court is sitting the use of mobile telephones, blackberries, recording equipment, cameras, personal stereos and eating and drinking will be prohibited.

Further information on the inquest is available on the City of London Corporation's website. Regular updates from the Family Campaign will be posted on the 'Inquest' section of this site here.