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Police claim Ian Tomlinson could have been attacked by fake G20 cop
Kirann Randhawa and Felix Allen01.07.09
The family of Ian Tomlinson were told by a senior investigator he may have been assaulted by a police impersonator shortly before he collapsed and died, it was revealed today.
The suggestion by the City of London Police was made after video evidence showed the newspaper vendor being attacked with a baton and pushed to the ground by an officer in riot gear.
According to an officer investigating the 47-year-old's death he could have clashed with a protester "dressed in police uniform" before he collapsed at the G20 demonstrations on 1 April.
The conversation took place at an emergency meeting with Mr Tomlinson's family and the Independent Police Complaints Commission on 8 April, hours after the footage was released.
A source present at the meeting said the senior investigator's comment was made after he was pressed on how the identity of the officer could be established from the video.
The claim is contained in a report by campaign group Inquest, whose researchers have interviewed Mr Tomlinson's widow Julia.
The group, which assists the families of people who die in police custody, said the suggestion of an attack by an imposter gave the impression that the investigation was biased. According to Inquest, the City of London police "completely failed to persuade the Tomlinson family of its impartiality".
Mrs Tomlinson would not discuss the report today, but accused the police of causing her husband's death.
She told the Standard at her home on the Isle of Dogs: "My daughters have lost their dad. My husband's ashes are in that living room. He wouldn't be there if it wasn't for the police.
"Ian didn't die of a heart attack, the police killed him."
The Inquest report reveals that Mr Tomlinson's family were not able to see his body until six days after his death. Police instead used fingerprints to identify him. The report also says a post-mortem examination found that Mr Tomlinson had a wound on his right leg that could have been caused by a bite from a police dog.
The IPCC is also accused of an "obvious error of judgment" by failing to launch an independent inquiry immediately. The report's authors said forensic evidence may have been lost as a result and claimed IPCC officials failed to treat police accounts with a "healthy degree of scepticism".
The IPCC was blocked from attending the first post mortem by the coroner and the Tomlinson family were not told they could attend. The report also raises concerns that police delayed an ambulance from reaching Mr Tomlinson as he lay dying in Cornhill.
Deborah Coles, co-director of Inquest, said there were similarities with the death of anti-fascist activist Blair Peach, a teacher who died on a demonstration in London in 1979. There have been repeated claims that Mr Peach was killed by police officers who struck him over the head. A secret report into the death of Mr Peach is due to be published by the end of the year.
Mrs Coles said of the Tomlinsons: "There is a deep frustration this family feel, which is common with other families where they were given misinformation, with the initial police investigation." The City of London Police and the Met Police were unable to comment on the claims. An IPCC spokeswoman said it could not discuss an ongoing investigation.
Reader views (58)
The UK Police are rotten to the core and now have zero respect from the UK Public.
- Brian May, London
Is this what the country of my birth has finally come to? I departed it's shores in disgust several years ago but I never believed it could fall this far.
It's time to take to the streets people. One million bodies, united against the tyranny. Show them enough is enough.
We will fight them on the beaches.... etc etc
- Winston Churchil, Limassol Cyprus
This is not news, this was the only outcome to be expected... truth belongs to the man with the biggest stick... by the way isn't it illegal to impersonate a police officer?
- Art, london
Incredible. We, the public are 'conveniently' NO LONGER allowed to openly film police officers for fear of being arrested under section 44 of the terroism act, thus removing the possibility of the 'truth' being recorded for all to see.
The Officers next to this 'impersonator' must have knowledge, partial or full, of WHO HE WAS. I'm sure they chatted, discussed their local situations etc. The City of London Police are showing themselves to be arrogant, deceitful and irresponsible. If it were a member of the public so accused of killing a Police Officer, there would be a huge man-hunt, sparing no expense, compulsory/voulntary DNA sampling etc. etc...
I am ashamed of my government and authorities.
- Andrew, Eastbourne UK
"Nu Labor style of "policing"..."
i think you will find that the Met comes under Conservative control.
- Paul, london
I actually feel sick after reading this. The Iranians used the same excuse. They've been calling them "Bassij impersonators" for the last week or so on state TV.
I am scared that a Police State is already here. These men have been unaccountable for their actions. Nothing has happened to them. The IPCC is a joke and everyone working there must realise this.
I've come to not trust policemen. Thats a sad state of affairs.
- Anon, Warwickshire
Fake officer"Oh yeah?"
You mean to say the real officers could not spot the "fakes" standing in line with them.
It's a sorry state that the public have to rely on such.
- John Gould, London, U. K.
Ok, so police used to(and still) have other police dress up as protesters and start fights with the police to give them an excuse to attack the protesters,ie. the agent provocateur.
Now they claim protesters dress up like police to beat up other protesters to make the police look violent and abusive. Since the end result of both of these lines of thought is one that leaves dissenters discredited, I can only assume the police just modified one of their favorite tactics with a "What a TWIST!"
- Anon, elsewhere, somewhere
this was a racist attack,watch the footage.he may have been a police or not.......have another look.
- Jimfred, London UK
Oh what a surprise, the Met trying to sow seeds of doubt, Ian tomblinson could have been targetted by a pretendy cop. I expect the next thing they'll say is Britain isn't on the way to becoming a police state under the direction of the Marionette Master
- Not Waving, On the Edeg of Reason UKidding
This is exactly the way they do it in Iran. Our bullet didn't girl that young lady - it must have been your side. How many fake coppers were there? Someone should just be ashamed to even have come up with such a stupid idea. I bet there are 50 cops who can tell you who did it - but they would have to be under oath - and even that might not work.
- Rich, Dallas USA
Surely this is a joke. If the IPCC take an excuse like this seriously then it's time they go.
- Thomas, London
Does citizens arrest cover arresting anyone impersonating a police officer?
We should start arresting any copper without their ID markings, they must be these fake coppers.
Similarly , photograph and video any copper without ID markings. You can't be done under the anti-terrorism act 'cause they must be fake coppers, otherwise they would have their ID markings visible.
- Simon, london
Cop out. The real Police should have been on the look out for the so called "fake police". Sounds like the Police finding ways of getting out of a difficult situation. They must have been taking lessons from the UK Politicians. It's endemic.
- Frank, Copenhagen, Denmark
Nu Labor style of "policing"...
- Jacqueline, Hampstead, London
Yes, and pigs can fly.
- Aylmer Bulstrode, La Gassoulie, France.
The Met Police is nothing better than the security force in a tin pot dictatorship. The sooner they are brought to boook, the better. The lies they have produced over the G20 march has been astonishing culminating in this "fake copper" claim. What do they take us for? The officer who struck the fatal blow should be identified and charged just like any demonstrator would have been haad they struck a policeman who subsequently died! And the full force of the law should be applied as it would in all other criminal cases.
- Andrew, Brentford
Thats another keyboard that the Evening Standard owe me, as I have just spat my tea out in shock!
The contempt that the public are now held in by both our politicians and their Stasi police force is unbelievable. I am typing this quickly before we also loose the right of free speech under some new anti terrorism act, for our own good you understand.
There is so much wrong with the country, apart from the economy, I don't know where a new government will even begin. I am also afraid of how successful they will be in reversing the countries destruction under Labour. Sacking a large number of Police officers clearly would be a good start!
- Stephen, London
The police cannot tell the truth any more than our equally corrupt government.
- Roger, Winchester, England
What is the breaking point at which one decides that enough is enough?
The country is being lied to, abused and defrauded on a monumental scale.
Summer of rage? Bring it on?
- Man In The Street, London, UK
Great. First our politicians treat us like we are completely stupid, and now the police do too !
- Electra, London
what world are we living in,we can,t trust the goverment the MET are being investigated for coruption and now fake policemen,how gullible do they think we are,you can actually smell the lies and deciet as you type,god help us
- Basil, bussiere poitevine 87320 france
What's the betting that if the masked policemen had killed another Policeman, he would have been identied and pulled in by now?
I see that the Iraniains have been using the same 'excuse' regarding those protesters killed in the recent demonstrations.
Mugabe's thiugs make the same excuse.
Sounds like the London Police are a third-world police.
- John, Dorset, UK
What rubbish. If that's the best excusethat the plod could come up with then it time to arm ourselves,. More so against the the plod rather than against the so called criminals.
The time has arrived that the so called lying police are the criminals.
Its time that the public realised that the police are no longer the protectors of the public. But undercover criminals.
Put the boot in the lying, stealing, corrupt, lazy BLUE BOTTLES.
- A Winsley, london
"Mr Tomlinson had a wound on his right leg that could have been caused by a bite from a police dog."
I'm surprised that they havnt claimed that this could've been a "fake" police dog. Some mutt with a Walter Mitty
complex no doubt.
- David, Berlin, Germany
I am gobsmacked. I have heard of rent a mob but never rent a policeman to beat up protestors.
- Patricia, LONDON
The identity of the cowardly police officer/constable who attacked mr Tomlinson from behind and without provocation must be revealed without delay,-and he should be charged with manslaughter,-anything less than this will be viewed as a cover up,- and when police appear in the eyes of the public to be above the law,then anarchy will follow close behind.
- J Acob, Canterbury England
The police it to soft, they dealt exceptionally well with the G20 "idiots" you should had seen the mess they caused in the city not to mention the destruction .... next G20 we should borrow the Iran Police force - now we are talking...
- London Eye, london
Let me see... What would a policeman say to a story like this, I wonder?
Oh, yes: "Ho, ho! Pull the other one, sunshine. It's got bells on".
- Croyboy, Croydon
So we had a Fake Policeman AND a Fake Police dog what a bunch of liars TELL THE TRUTH !
- Linda Cliff, London
What a crock. Under this corrupt and deceitful Labour regime the Police have become politicised beyond recognition.
Watching and listening to the various placemen put in charge of the Met has been a horror. They appear to no longer work for us but the state.
The Police saw the protest as an opportunity to flex their muscles. They are on a slippery slope. The more this continues the less respect people will have for them. They behaved like an out of control mob. The protesters conducted themselves with more decorum.
- Man In The Street, London, UK
When will somebody stand up to these thugs and liars. Are they a law unto themselves and if they are we really do live in a Police State. We need a government strong enough to lead our Police Force and govern it properly. They are clearly not responsible enough to govern themselves and and at every opportunity lie to cover up mistakes and wrong doing. Stop their culture of lying, make them accountable, sack those who do wrong. Nuff said
PS Does anyone know the name of the prat in photo with his arm raised with a baton in his hand on the Tube adverts for the Evening Standard. This is our proud Police Force - admired throughout the world - yea right
- Sussex Liberal, London
This is quite a plausible explanation
I was once robbed by someone impersonating a burglar
- Kedge, wilts, england
What a bunch of liars. No wonder everyone hates the police, the only time you come into contact with them is when they leap out from the side of the road with a radar trap. They spend too much of their time on their backsides in their cars on so called surveillance
- Stuart, Ferndown, UK
David, London - this article is referring to the City of London, not the Metropolitan Poice - they are 2 entirely different police forces.
Having said that and if there story were true, it should be easy enough to identify whether the 'policeman' in question was wearing a genuine uniform. If he was, how did he get hold of it? If he wasn't, why wasn't he stopped by the other police there?
- Liberal And Proud, London, UK
If you need to know the time, ask a policeman. Sorry, you are not a policeman? You look like a policeman. You dress like a policeman. You do not have numbers on your shoulder, just like a real policeman.
When is a police officer not a police officer? When they are employed at the highest level in the Metropolitan Police.
More spin and waffle, smoke and mirrors.
- Reuben Camara, Republic of Morecambe, UK
If there was a chance of him being a fake cop, was he was with a group of other fake cops?
He was not alone at the time remember?
But it could be possible; after all we do have a fake government, and there is a lot of them.
- Mickinlondon, london.
Honest officer, the chap who just robbed the bank was not me, but someone who was impersonating me, warts and all!
- Chaz, London, UK
Yet another pathetic attempt by the Met to muddy the waters and shirk responsibility for their actions. How can anyone still have respect for a police force that stoops so low?
- David, London, UK
We have become so lobotomized by reality television that they think we will believe anything!
- Gwaddilove, l
I think this claim has arisen directly from the fact that some G20 police were allowed to wear masks and remove their ID numbers. This breakdown in staff discipline led to the subsequent unfortunate events concerning not just Mr Tomlinson but others. I hope the IPCC will examine how this initial indiscipline was able to go unchallenged, and will find out who should have put a stop to it but didn't.
- Austen, London
Pathetic! They should apologise to family at once. Have the police no shame?
- Paul, London
In the 1970's the City Police, In order to keep their crime figures down, where a window was smashed by a burglar, used to 'no crime' the allegation and record the same words each time, " . . . window broken by stone thrown up by passing vehicle . . ." This is obviously a variation on the same theme. I suspect that the City Police are also examining the possibilities that Ian Tomlinson was attacked by time-travelling Klingons, or struck himself during a bout of self-harm.
- Excitytec, London
You couldn't make this story up!!!
- Scotty, Cambridge UK
How are we supposed to teach children to respect the Police when they do things like this? I have always supported the Police, but you would have to be a moron to believe a word of this ridiculous tale.
- Mark, London
By their actions the Police really do bring themselves further into disrepute.
The unwarranted assault on Mr Tomlinson is one thing but to suggest it was an imposter loitering around with - presumably - real policeman just makes you want to cry. The officer suggesting it should be ashamed.
- Al, Reading
So the police are falling back on the claim from generations of young children that ' a big boy did it and ran away' ? the other one has bells on !
- Graham, Fleet, Hampshire
Twern't us guv! In fact non of our officers were there - they must 'ave all bin lookalikes. Fancy thinking we would push anybody to the ground! Probably the same lookalikes that did for the striking miners.
- Norcot, Oakham UK
A police officer was proceeding in an orderly manner towards the train station to make his way in to start his shift but was prevented from doing so because the line had the wrong sort of leaves on it. As he waited at the station, he was mugged by a protestor who took his uniform, riot gear and baton but in haste forgot to nab the officer's serial numbers. The protestor subsequently dressed as the officer to gain access to quarters that other protesters could not reach and, seizing the opportunity, murdered a passer by. I suppose it could be true.
- Prototypical Englishman, Wormwood Scrubs
It should never be forgotten that at the inquest into the death of Blair Peach, coshed by a police officer, the Coroner suggested to the jury that Peach might have been deliberately killed by a protester in order to discredit the police - a suggestion that was both ludicrous and deeply offensive.
- Jo A, London
I told the magistrate that the copper who clocked me for doing 120 mph was a fake copper but would you believe it, for some obscure reason he refused to believe me.
I suppose Jean Charles de Menezes was murdered by a police impersonator.
- Royston Amphlett, Bournemouth England.
The police embarrass themselves when they come up with this sort of stuff. Anything except take the blame and apologise.
- Neil, London, London UK
ha ha ha, sorry is this a wind up!! are the police seriously expecting anyone to believe that line of tosh! You can see the strategy meeting now can't you " now what were going to say is this, it wasn't a real copper, just someone who had a uniform and a radio and looked like one" Unbelievable, genuinely unbelievable! I was raised to respect the police but thats gone now
- Mike Usiskin, London
Oooooooh, there goes another flying non-ruminant omnivorous ungulate bristly mammal of the family Suidae past my window.
- Captain Black Of The Mysterons, London, England
I believe this senior investigator should win an award for coming up with this suggestion.
- Colin, Bristol
That has to be the dumbest line of defence I've ever heard: it is an abuse of 'burden of proof' resting with the prosecution. They have cameras all over the country with face-recognition software, they have a database of faces for every British Subject with a passport, but they can't run a simple old-fashioned line-up of the police on duty against the film footage? It is a criminal offence to impersonate a policeman, yet they freely allow their offices to remove their identifcation numbers - soooo conveniently just velcroed on to the uniform for easy removal - thus allowing them to come up with farcial statements like this.
Police State! Fortunately, at the moment it's an incompetent Police State - but it might not stay that way.
- Roz, France
Ye, and im a dutchman.
- Sorraya, croydon
As usual the cover up is well under way, this is perhaps the most fantastic yet, he may have been killed by a fake cop, who of course managed to fit in with all the other police who know and work together daily, just too fantastic to be true. The man was murdered by the police it really is that simple as a direct result of Home Office orders to get tough.
- Alan Davey, London
