PC who hit Tomlinson won’t be prosecuted
The Director of Public Prosecutions, Keir Starmer QC, has today said the DPP will not reopen the prosecution of PC Simon Harwood after all.
PC Harwood was filmed striking newspaper seller Ian Tomlinson with his baton and pushing him to the ground during the G20 protests last year. Tomlinson eventually died as a result of the incident.
In a letter sent to Green Party Assembly Member Jenny Jones, Starmer confirmed that the DPP has decided not to reopen the prosecution of the Met Police officer, PC Simon Harwood, in light of the GMC decision to suspend Dr. Freddy Patel.
Starmer told Jones that he will wait to see if the coming inquest will throw up any more facts.
Jenny Jones AM has released this statement:
It is frustrating for the family, but the Crown Prosecution Service are limited by the actions of an incompetent pathologist. The effect of Dr Patel’s changing his evidence six months into the process was to undermine the CPS’ case for manslaughter, whilst leaving them unable to pursue the lesser charge of assault against a police officer who clearly struck an innocent bystander with his baton and pushed him to the ground.
It is astounding that Dr Patel failed to keep samples of blood to support either his initial findings, or his changed findings.
The family’s only hope for justice is that new evidence will emerge from an early inquest, but even that appears subject to further delays.
Disgraceful.
Dr. Freddy Patel had concluded that Ian Tomlinson died of natural causes, but two independent experts afterwards said he died from internal bleeding after falling to the ground.
Update: The full letter from the DPP to Jenny Jones is here.
Update 2: @TenPercent points out that the IPCC eventually recommended that a charge of manslaughter could be brought over Tomlinson death, after reviewing the evidence. Clearly, the DPP have ignored that too.
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Sunny Hundal is editor of LC. Also: on Twitter, at Pickled Politics and Guardian CIF.
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Reader comments
Please tell me the reason Keir Starmer keeps letting these bastard cops off the hook is not because he wants to avoid personal charges of being a commie? FFS.
I can’t really see what PC Harwood did so wrong if you approve of taking similar action against the EDL.
See Sunny’s post here @5 where, he seems to approve of riot police with dogs getting tough with ”hooligans”. (I aprove it myself btw).
Damon, grow up.
When you say you support “getting tough” with “hooligans”, what exactly do you mean by those two terms? It could mean anything from slightly more effective policing to violent government repression.
So you’re against (or for?) the police maintaining order when there’s a non-group of violent thugs trying to stir up trouble, and then think that’s the same as an unarmed man being hit over nothing, and subsequently dying?
Well done damon, for spectacularly missing the point
@6
One could make the point that giving the police more power (or just encouraging them to use existing powers more) would raise the risk of this sort of thing happening, no matter how high-minded the motive.
That said, I don’t know what your original point was, because damon’s link… well, you know.
@3
Damon, grow up.
If I said I had no idea where that came from you wouldn’t believe me. The internet can be a treacherous place. I think I clicked on that image last week for about ‘five seconds’.
As for getting rough with the EDL and getting rough with G20 protesters – I’m not sure if the police see the difference – that’s all.
I do ten or twenty times over. The EDL are quite horrible, and the G20 people (apart from the most moronic ones) are quite nice.
Don’t forget that Tomlinson wasn’t even with the G20 protesters. He was just an ordinary fella on his way home from work.
damon,
I can’t really see what PC Harwood did so wrong if you approve of taking similar action against the EDL.
I don’t recall Sunny ever saying or implying that EDL members should be violently shoved to the ground (and consequently die) despite presenting no apparent threat.
@7
“As for getting rough with the EDL and getting rough with G20 protesters – I’m not sure if the police see the difference – that’s all.
I do ten or twenty times over. The EDL are quite horrible, and the G20 people (apart from the most moronic ones) are quite nice.”
Um, we don’t deal out violence to people on the basis of them not being nice. Of course, if they’re acting in a notably more violent or aggressive way at the time the police turn the pressure up, that’s a different kettla fish. But even ‘nice’ protests have a way of getting out of hand, and I’m not sure the policeman, as he shelters himself from a hail of glass bottles with his riot shield, is thinking “it’s ok, they’re so NICE!”
Maybe I should be too ashamed to do the link I thought I was doing seven hours ago.
http://www.pickledpolitics.com/archives/10441
It’s kind of embarasing what happened @ post 2 – but there’s a subject that I really could have gotten into as well..
In the last few years around any serious left and liberal sites though, I have found it’s a no go area. It maybe touched on like with some excelent recent posts by Kate Belgrave on LC – but it’s still not the right forum for everything to come out.
Gay marriage and everything that George Michael might get up to has been put into the forefront of acceptability – but clicking on some Men Only kind of site on your computor is still (I think) somewhat taboo. To be admitted anyway.
I think you may want to backtrack on your point damon – before you embarrass yourself further. HEre’s an article by me saying the EDL should have the right to protest peacefully.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/libertycentral/2010/jul/28/let-edl-thugs-demonstrate-bradford
…before you embarrass yourself further.
You mean that you are opposed to police starting an anti-EDL operation at 9am at the train station in Bradford or Leicester? And you are opposed to the police holding and kettling people coming off the trains hours before any planned demonstration in any particular city?
I don’t know why you call this me embarrassing myself – I was just trying to clear this up.
It’s all very well to call for freedom of assembly – and at the same time willing on the police to turn their dogs on people you don’t like the look of.
Yes, in that case in the picture of the guy in the blue jumper getting held by a police dog, he probably deserved it and no harm came of it.
But when the police use the same tactics on some youths smashing up a Stasbucks near the Israeli embassy you seem to take a different tack.
I would too btw. The EDL are much more horrible than any Hezbollah/Hamas supporting London youth IMO. When they smash up a Starbucks, they don’t mean to frighten the people inside like the EDL thugs did in Leicester. They just want to smash the glass windows of the Zionist coffeeshop. Whereas the EDL want to frighten and attack the people inside the resturant (seen in the YouTube), because they have brown skin. I do understand the difference.
But when the police use the same tactics on some youths smashing up a Stasbucks near the Israeli embassy you seem to take a different tack.
Really – why not show me the evidence I have different standards?
damon, why do you conflate “people who don’t present a threat”, e.g. Tomlinson, with
“people who do present a threat”, e.g. rioters?
damon wins the thread. Not by creating a stupid moral equivalence. Not by trolling. But because you guys rose to it. DNFTT!!
It’s obvious that Tomlinson was no direct threat, there’s no evidence he was violent, and he was clearly assaulted from the video that the public has access to. The policeman has not had an unblemished record when it comes to violent conduct, having to move to a different force as a result.
Well I can’t comment on the technicalities but this strikes me as a disappointing outcome.
There is still the internal disciplinary process to come, is that right?
Really – why not show me the evidence I have different standards?
Sorry if I have that wrong. I thought you spoke out about the police being rough that day in Kensington. There was a thread on it. Certainly about the sentences handed down. The police were a bit heavy at times – I was there.
My point is what they did at the G20 they do to the EDL.
If a person wants to make the distinction that the EDL deserve some collective punnishment that’s fair enough as they are collectively unpleasant people.
But let’s not pretend that the police are only being violent when the EDL show violence.
The police are out to dominate and corral them from the moment they get off the trains in the destination city. And anyone not complying is pushed around and will be hit. Just like they did on the day of the G20. And if you read the Millwall Online website (Tomlinson was a Millwall fan) where they have had threads about this, they will say that what the police did that day is what they experience every other week.
It’s not particulary shocking (what the policeman did).
And Danivon. Some of the left love to go after the police now and again. In a political way. The kind of people who keep a permanent shrine to Jean Charles de Menezes outside Stockwell tube station. I don’t care for that kind of thing myself.
The kind of people who keep a permanent shrine to Jean Charles de Menezes outside Stockwell tube station.
What, his friends and family?
Reactions: Twitter, blogs
- Liberal Conspiracy
Breaking: Police officer who struck Ian Tomlinson won't be prosecuted http://bit.ly/9GfTec
- The Fact Compiler
RT @libcon: Breaking: Police officer who struck Ian Tomlinson won't be prosecuted http://bit.ly/9GfTec <<No shit Sherlock
- sunny hundal
Breaking: Police officer who struck Ian Tomlinson won't be prosecuted says DPP http://bit.ly/9GfTec
- Highlander
RT @libcon: Breaking: Police officer who struck Ian Tomlinson won't be prosecuted http://bit.ly/9GfTec << What a fucking surprise!
- Stephen Brown
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- Ellie Mae
RT @libcon: Breaking: Police officer who struck Ian Tomlinson won't be prosecuted http://bit.ly/9GfTec
- Grace F-H
You WHAT? RT @libcon: Breaking: Police officer who struck Ian Tomlinson won't be prosecuted http://bit.ly/9GfTec
- Bileys Mullet
RT @sunny_hundal: Breaking: Police officer who struck Ian Tomlinson won't be prosecuted says DPP http://bit.ly/9GfTec
- Gavin Lambert
RT @msgracefh: You WHAT? RT @libcon: Breaking: Police officer who struck Ian Tomlinson won't be prosecuted http://bit.ly/9GfTec
- Marjorie Smith
#libcon Breaking: Police officer who struck Ian Tomlinson won't be prosecuted http://bit.ly/9GfTec – it's shameful
- Iain Whiteley
RT @sunny_hundal: Breaking: Police officer who struck Ian Tomlinson won't be prosecuted says DPP http://bit.ly/9GfTec
- matt_heath
RT @sunny_hundal: Breaking: Police officer who struck Ian Tomlinson won't be prosecuted says DPP http://bit.ly/9GfTec
- Adam Shulman
RT @sunny_hundal: Breaking: Police officer who struck Ian Tomlinson won't be prosecuted says DPP http://bit.ly/9GfTec
- Ms Emily Wemily
Breaking: Police officer who struck Ian Tomlinson won't be prosecuted says DPP http://bit.ly/9GfTec Sometimes I wonder about our democracy..
- Jamie Potter
No surprise with the Ian Tomlinson news, Met are above the law http://bit.ly/b29ycV
- Ellie Mae
RT @libcon http://bit.ly/9GfTec << we shouldn't forget this.
- Police State UK
Breaking: the DPP will not reopen the prosecution of PC who struck Tomlinson after all. http://bit.ly/c6YxwT
- Richard George
RT @policestateuk: Breaking: the DPP will not reopen the prosecution of PC who struck Tomlinson after all. http://bit.ly/c6YxwT
- Mark Taylor
RT @sunny_hundal: Breaking: Police officer who struck Ian Tomlinson won't be prosecuted says DPP http://bit.ly/9GfTec
- Brintha Gowrishankar
What a surprise(!) Shameful stuff. RT @libcon: Breaking: Police officer who struck Ian Tomlinson won't be prosecuted http://bit.ly/9GfTec
- Crispin Cooper
@davidallengreen DPP not going to re-open prosecution of Tomlinson assault police man http://bit.ly/c6YxwT
- Anna Hedge
@davidallengreen @flayman have you two seen *this* little gem-they're not going to reopen the Tomlinson/PC prosecution. http://bit.ly/c6YxwT
- ally
RT @PoliceStateUK: Breaking: the DPP will not reopen the prosecution of PC who struck Tomlinson after all. http://bit.ly/c6YxwT
- Dewi Prysor
RT @PoliceStateUK: Breaking: the DPP will not reopen the prosecution of PC who struck Tomlinson after all. http://bit.ly/c6YxwT
- Alexander Hanff
RT @PoliceStateUK: Breaking: the DPP will not reopen the prosecution of PC who struck Tomlinson after all. http://bit.ly/c6YxwT
- Walton Pantland
RT @jamiepotter: No surprise with the Ian Tomlinson news, Met are above the law http://bit.ly/b29ycV
- Jamie Dowling
RT @PoliceStateUK: Breaking: the DPP will not reopen the prosecution of PC who struck Tomlinson after all. http://bit.ly/c6YxwT
- Press Not Sorry
RT @sunny_hundal: Breaking: Police officer who struck Ian Tomlinson won't be prosecuted says DPP http://bit.ly/9GfTec
- akira the don
WANKERS http://bit.ly/9ISxzo
- Mel B
RT @sunny_hundal: Breaking: Police officer who struck Ian Tomlinson won't be prosecuted says DPP http://bit.ly/9GfTec
- Matthew JG Harding
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- Phil Dickens
RT @PoliceStateUK: Breaking: the DPP will not reopen the prosecution of PC who struck Tomlinson after all. http://bit.ly/c6YxwT
- TenPercent
Breaking: Police officer who struck Ian Tomlinson won’t be prosecuted | Liberal Conspiracy http://t.co/nsrZrSd via @libcon
- Mark Thompson
Breaking: Police officer who struck Ian Tomlinson won’t be prosecuted | Liberal Conspiracy http://t.co/PT2EVse via @libcon
- earwicga
RT @sunny_hundal: Breaking: Police officer who struck Ian Tomlinson won't be prosecuted says DPP http://bit.ly/9GfTec
- Chris Butler
RT @TenPercent: Police officer who struck Ian Tomlinson won’t be prosecuted | Liberal Conspiracy http://bit.ly/9Hqb1a (via @libcon)
- Tonsko
RT @PoliceStateUK: Breaking: the DPP will not reopen the prosecution of PC who struck Tomlinson after all. http://bit.ly/c6YxwT
- David Whewell
RT @policestateuk: Breaking: the DPP will not reopen the prosecution of PC who struck Tomlinson after all. http://bit.ly/c6YxwT
- John Donnelly
RT @AKblackandred: RT @PoliceStateUK: Breaking: the DPP will not reopen the prosecution of PC who struck Tomlinson after all. http://bit.ly/c6YxwT
- Tonsko
RT @PoliceStateUK: Breaking: the DPP will not reopen the prosecution of PC who struck Tomlinson after all. http://bit.ly/c6YxwT @Glinner
- Brian L Johnson
RT @PoliceStateUK: Breaking: the DPP will not reopen the prosecution of PC who struck Tomlinson after all. http://bit.ly/c6YxwT
- Sten King
RT @akirathedon: WANKERS http://bit.ly/9ISxzo
- Hugh Miller
RT @policestateuk: Breaking: the DPP will not reopen the prosecution of PC who struck Tomlinson after all. http://bit.ly/c6YxwT
- Alan Marshall
RT @libcon Breaking: Police officer who struck Ian Tomlinson won't be prosecuted http://bit.ly/9GfTec
- Stephen R Jones
RT @policestateuk: Breaking: the DPP will not reopen the prosecution of PC who struck Tomlinson after all. http://bit.ly/c6YxwT
- Marv S
Getting away with murder yet again. Via @libcon Breaking: Police officer who struck Ian Tomlinson won't be prosecuted http://bit.ly/9GfTec
- Gordon Kennedy
RT @PoliceStateUK: Breaking: the DPP will not reopen the prosecution of PC who struck Tomlinson after all. http://bit.ly/c6YxwT
- Mike Jay
RT @sunny_hundal: Breaking: Police officer who struck Ian Tomlinson won't be prosecuted says DPP http://bit.ly/9GfTec
- Anatomy Of A Murder Cover Up » Ten Percent
[...] 14th October 2010- Director of Public Prosecutions, Keir Starmer QC, has today said the DPP will not reopen the prosecution of PC Simon [...]
- Jim Herd
RT @PoliceStateUK: Breaking: the DPP will not reopen the prosecution of PC who struck Tomlinson after all. http://bit.ly/c6YxwT
- M M Wallis
@PoliceStateUK: Breaking: the DPP will not reopen the prosecution of PC who struck Tomlinson after all. http://bit.ly/c6YxwT
- M M Wallis
RT @PoliceStateUK: Breaking: the DPP will not reopen the prosecution of PC who struck Tomlinson after all. http://bit.ly/c6YxwT
- Ian Adamson
@sunny_hundal You might wanna edit this comments thread on LC http://bit.ly/9k7tDT
- Christine Berry
RT @sunny_hundal: Breaking: Police officer who struck Ian Tomlinson won't be prosecuted says DPP http://bit.ly/9GfTec
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