2011-10-17
A Scotland Yard officer has denied killing newspaper seller Ian Tomlinson at the G20 protests.
Simon Harwood
PC Simon Harwood has denied killing Ian Tomlinson
Mr Tomlinson, who was 47, collapsed and died at the demonstrations in central London in April 2009.
PC Simon Harwood, a father of two, showed no emotion when he pleaded not guilty to the charge of manslaughter at Southwark Crown Court.
As Harwood, 40, denied the allegation, relatives of Mr Tomlinson gasped from the public gallery.
His widow Julia wiped tears from her eyes, while his stepson Paul King hung his head and muttered “no”.
Mrs Tomlinson has previously said the death devastated her family, adding: “I remember feeling he was the best thing that ever happened to me.”
Mr Tomlinson’s death came to international attention when New York businessman Christopher La Jaunie handed footage he had taken of a police confrontation to The Guardian newspaper.
The footage shows Mr Tomlinson staggering away from a police cordon after being hit with a baton. He then gestures to police before falling to the ground.
Ian Tomlinson died in April 2009
Harwood was charged with manslaughter after Keir Starmer QC, the director of public prosecutions, reviewed an inquest jury’s unlawful killing verdict.
New medical evidence at the inquest and the opinions of experts during the hearing helped change his mind, Mr Starmer said.
Harwood is due to stand trial at Southwark Crown Court on June 13.