Lies And Cover-Ups Over Tomlinson Death

Shocking results of a second post mortem into the death of G20 bystander Ian Tomlinson were held back for a week by a police watchdog, leaving the family to suffer knowing he did not die of a heart attack. 

Tomlinson's death is leaving behind a disgraceful trail of lies, deceit and cover-ups which is slowly unravelling bit by bit. 

Now a Territorial Support Group (TSG) officer suspended over the death of Tomlinson has been questioned on suspicion of manslaughter after the second post mortem, known for a week but only revealed today, showed the newspaper-seller died from internal bleeding. 

The disturbing development, which would never have come to light without the Guardian footage showing an unmarked balaclava-clad TSG officer striking and pushing him, calls into question why a home office pathologist carried out the first post mortem without the involvement of the IPCC. 

The family's solicitor, Jules Carey, said they had been aware of the results of the second post mortem for a week. They had reluctantly held the information back because the IPCC initially opposed its publication: "The family ... have had to endure the holding back of this information despite continuing reports in the press that Ian died of a heart attack."

The disturbing development will renew calls for the home secretary to hold a Scarman-style full and independent public inquiry into the death of Tomlinson, after a masked police thug without a shoulder ID number was caught on camera in a sickening unprovoked act of police brutality.

Like many, the Orange Party was taken back by the swiftness of the 'natural causes' result of the first post mortem - the result was too quick.

The video raised disturbing questions for the home secretary over police riot tactics at the G20 summit and once again calls into question the version of events which differs from the one the police gave to the media at the time. 

Wind back one week and if an American tourist had not caught on camera that crucial stage of the unprovoked police assault on Tomlinson, the original falsified post mortem report of a heart attack would have remained. 

So far police statements have been a pack of lies, a view shared by former UK ambassador and legal-eagle Craig Murray, who calls for heads to roll over the increasing roll-call of 'official' lies:

There was no police contact with Mr Tomlinson. Mr Tomlinson died of a heart attack. Protesters rained missiles at police rescuing and treating Mr Tomlinson. There were no CCTV cameras covering the assault on Mr Tomlinson. There were CCTV cameras, but they were not working.

This delayed second post mortem result raises disturbing questions about the government pathologist who carried out the original post mortem examination and the police spokesmen who told lies that there was no police contact with Tomlinson and that protesters threw missiles at police treating him.

Moreover the home secretary has some explaining to do. Why were unmarked and masked TSG officers deployed at the G20 protest and why were senior police officers given the authority to use inhuman 'kettling' tactics and cordons?

The new post mortem was carried out by Dr Nat Cary at the request of Tomlinson's family and the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) who sat on the results for a week.

A statement from City of London Coroner's Court said Dr Cary's preliminary report contradicted the initial findings.

Tomlinson's son Paul King said: "First we were told that there had been no contact with the police, then we were told that he died of a heart attack. Now we know that he was violently assaulted by a police officer and died from internal bleeding.

"As time goes on, we hope that the full truth about how Ian died will be made known." 

Many will share that view, not least the family of Jean Charles De Menezes with disturbing echoes of the lies and cover-ups  thrown up by that shocking killing. 

Picture: Still of Tomlinson assault from Guardian G20 footage

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Why Police Wear Balaclavas In Spring

The rise of balaclava-clad riot police, caught on camera over the death of innocent G20 bystander Ian Tomlinson, has exposed a disturbing new police tactic, with masked, unidentifiable officers now deployed in a chilling throw-back to the days of the discredited and now disbanded Special Patrol Group and the death of teacher Blair Peach. Are the police in danger of taking the law into their own hands?

The masked police thug caught on camera and seen by millions assaulting a man at the G20 protests minutes before he died, finally came forward last night.

But disturbingly the Guardian reports "fresh pictures suggested he had removed his shoulder number and covered his face with a balaclava before hitting Ian Tomlinson with a baton and pushing him to the ground last week."

The officer, from the Territorial Support Group (TSG), is part of a squad of officers who view themselves as the 'elite', now becoming common place on our streets as the unidentifiable balaclava brigade. 

Watching the Guardian video footage of the sickening unprovoked attack, the Orange Party was not alone in raising questions about the balaclava-clad assailant: "What is equally disturbing is that the officer is heavily masked with no shoulder number and only the words "MP" for Metropolitan Police on his helmet."

That  tactic of wearing a balaclava to hide the identity of specialist riot squad officers from prying eyes, is increasingly being used in crowd control tactics. 

On the surface it seems worthwhile. It prevents the officer from being identified in any reprisal in what is often a dangerous job and helps prevents any facial injuries. 

The Orange Party has no quarrel with that. Nor with the work of specialist police often at the sharp and dangerous end, dealing with the nasty criminal and terrorist underbelly which simmers near the surface of society.  

But the use of balaclava clad officers was also highly visible at the North Lindsey Oil refinery during the BJ4BW protests (opposite). Clearly then it wasn't just the cold which was being kept away. 

And that raises the sinister spectre of a political police force used to control the 'English mob' during legitimate and justified protests.

The TSG is an operations unit of the Met, specialising in public order. It is no stranger to the streets of London nor the provinces and replaced the controversial Special Patrol Group (SPG) in 1987. 

Officers should be identified as TSG from the 'U' in their shoulder or 'collar' number, which was not visible in the assault on Tomlinson who was not part of the demonstration and was assaulted from behind and pushed to the ground by a masked baton-wielding TSG officer.

Senior police officers have condemned the assault saying there is no excuse for what he did and at the very least he had committed a serious disciplinary offence and a criminal assault.

The rise of the balaclava brigade marks a disturbing trend reminiscent of the disreputable antics of the SPG which it replaced and the death of innocent bystander Blair Peach. 

The SPG's most controversial incident came in 1979 when teacher Blair Peach died as a result of alleged police brutality during a demonstration in London. 

Inquiries found SPG officers with baseball bats, crowbars and sledgehammers as part of their armoury. 

Police brutality was never proven but it was claimed Peach had fallen to a blow from a lead-filled cosh or rubberised police radio belonging to the SPG.

The current trend towards a police state is unacceptable but the danger lies when the police, as agents of the state, take the law into their own hands with tacit approval of their political masters. 

UPDATE 7pm: The TSG officer at the centre of the assault has been suspended.

Top Picture: Still from Guardian video footage of Tomlinson assault

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