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Law firm is swamped by 200 claims of police brutality at G20
Kiran Randhawa
A London law firm has received more than 200 complaints alleging police brutality at the G20 protests, it emerged today.
Bindmans is preparing a dossier of evidence against the Metropolitan Police after being inundated with claims by people directly wounded by officers or who witnessed extreme violence.
Of these, more than 20 relate to people who suffered head injuries at the hands of the police at the demonstrations.
Rhona Friedman, an associate at the firm, said the number of cases against the Met is likely to increase as it had only just begun gathering statements.
Ms Friedman said the 200 complaints included those who had suffered fractures as a result of police assaults.
She said: "We are gathering evidence of injuries and abuse of police powers, the use of kettling [the tactic used to pen large numbers of people into small, controllable areas] and of force used by officers.
“There are a range of complaints and so far there are upwards of 20 relating to head injuries alone.”
Many of them complain they were punched in the face or struck by riot shields and batons.
Some claim they were hit when already on the ground.
One of the complainants is a young woman who went to hospital suffering from concussion after violence broke out near the Bank of England on 1 April.
The woman, who wished to remain anonymous, claims she lost her sight for three minutes, and was suffering from severe headaches a week after being hit in the face by police officers.
She says she underwent a CT scan and was told by doctors her injuries could have been fatal if she had been hit two inches from where she suffered the blow.
At least 10 of the cases in the dossier are believed to involve women.
In one instance two women claim to have been “pinned together” and hit repeatedly on their heads and arms with riots shields.
The dossier raises the prospect of more Met officers facing criminal investigations.
The officer who pushed newspaper vendor Ian Tomlinson before his death has been questioned on suspicion of manslaughter.
Bindmans is also planning to launch a judicial review against kettling. During the G20 protests, the tactic is believed to have led to demonstrators suffering asthma and panic attacks.
John Halford, a partner at Bindmans, said that the firm had spoken to Climate Camp legal advisers to prepare the case.
Mr Halford said that kettling is legally justifiable only when it is the only means available to prevent actual or imminent violence.
He added: "Many protesters have reported unprovoked baton charges and other forms of intimidation while they were penned in.
“We plan to ensure all of this is examined by the courts.”
Tony Murphy of Bhatt Murphy solicitors revealed that the firm was also examining the possibility of launching legal action over police tactics during G20 “to challenge this assault on protesters’ fundamental freedoms in the courts”.
The allegations of yet more police brutality come as the Met announced it will root out the officer who boasted about the “unwashed getting a good kicking” at the protests.
The officer made the comments on the Policeman’s Blog website a day after Mr Tomlinson died.
The Met said it will “not tolerate” its employees making inappropriate comments.
The remarks surfaced after PC Rob Ward, 27, wrote on his Facebook page: “Can’t wait to bash some long haired hippys up @ the G20.”
Source: http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23681519-details/Law+firm+is+swamped+by+200+claims+of+police+brutality+at+G20/article.do