Ian Tomlinson inquest: police officer ‘shocked’ by push

PC Kerry Smith was part of a police line clearing a street in the City of London on the evening of April 1, 2009 when she saw another officer – since identified as PC Simon Harwood – push Ian Tomlinson to the ground.

The inquest into Mr Tomlinson’s death was told that in a statement written a month after the incident, she said: “I was shocked by the forcefulness of the push on Mr Tomlinson.”

She added: “However I do not know what the officer had seen or heard prior to pushing [him].”

PC Smith said that moments earlier, Mr Tomlinson had asked to come through police lines as they moved down Royal Exchange Buildings – a pedestrianised street between Threadneedle Street and Cornhill.

“He said he wanted to get through and pointed to the line behind us,” she told the inquest. “I told him no. I did point towards the south east corner so going up towards Bishopsgate, as an alternative direction.”

Mr Tomlinson wasn’t aggressive or swearing, PC Smith said. “He didn’t seem rude, as such.”

Asked if he appeared to be a demonstrator, she said no. “He didn’t appear to be shouting or chanting, he didn’t appear to be with anyone else, so I didn’t think he was a demonstrator.”

Read more: Ian Tomlinson inquest special report

The inquest heard that a number of officers, including PC Smith, told him several times to get back from the police line. He was a “bit slow on the uptake,” she said. “After a bit of a pause, he then did turn around.”

PC Smith described seeing Mr Tomlinson fall to the ground. “He was pushed then by a police officer, on his left shoulder, or left upper arm. I saw the push. I saw the police officer’s arm push on to his shoulder,” she said.

“Mr Tomlinson then fell to the floor. He went forward, quite hard. He didn’t use his hands to break his fall. He appeared to possibly fall on his face.”

As he sat on the floor ‘dazed’ and ‘shocked’, looking back up at officers, PC Smith told the inquest Mr Tomlinson said: “I just wanted to go home.”

She said she replied: “It’s obvious, mate, you can’t come through,” and told him to go in a different direction.

In notes made after the incident, PC Smith – who was a police van driver on April 1 – said she had expected to see blood after seeing Mr Tomlinson’s head strike the ground.

It was a pretty aggressive push… there was no aggressiveness from Mr Tomlinson towards the police officer. Giuseppe Di-Cecio

Under cross examination by Samantha Leek, counsel for the Metropolitan Police, PC Smith was asked whether at the time Mr Tomlinson was pushed over, he posed any threat to any officer at all.

“I didn’t feel so at the time,” she replied.

The inquest heard that minutes before the incident involving Mr Tomlinson, PC Smith had witnessed a police officer being pushed to the floor in the same area.

The jury were also shown video footage of another officer from the City of London Police being punched in the head by a member of the crowd.

Ian Tomlinson struck with baton

Earlier today, the inquest heard that Mr Tomlinson had been nuzzled by a police dog and “struck two or three times” with a baton before being pushed over.

In a statement read to the jury, Robert Fitch – who had been watching events from an office window overlooking Royal Exchange Buildings – said a line of police officers, including several with dogs, began to move down the pedestrianised street between Cornhill and Threadneedle Street.

“Most people were walking away very quickly,” Mr Fitch said. “At that point I commented on there being people around who clearly weren’t protesters.”

Mr Fitch described the line of officers and dogs approaching Mr Tomlinson’s position. “The black dog came really close to Ian,” he said

“Close enough to move the trousers he was wearing. I can’t say if it bit him but it was close enough to do so. The dog was pulling on the lead and the handler was holding the dog fairly tight. The dog was barking, the lead was definitely tight.

“The dogs with their handlers and the other officers were moving forward in a line at this point. Ian did not respond to the dog as everyone else did, he just didn’t move very quickly. He was just shuffling forward, still with his hands in his pockets towards Cornhill.”

Mr Fitch said he saw a police officer take a couple of steps forward and strike Mr Tomlinson in the right knee area two to three times.

“It was pretty clear that Ian was being asked to move along because of the dog and everyone else was moving away pretty quickly. Ian was struck on the leg but he did not seem to respond in any way, which was consistent again with my view that Ian was drunk.”

Almost in the same movement, the officer shoved Mr Tomlinson in the back, Mr Fitch said. “Ian staggered forward, and I think then took one step forward and he went straight down. His hands were still in his pockets. I am not sure if he didn’t get them out at the last minute but he didn’t break his fall. He fell on his right side face down and if any part of his face hit the ground it was his top right forehead.”

Giuseppe Di-Cecio, who worked with Mr Fitch in the same office, described Mr Tomlinson walking slowly in front of the police cordon. “He didn’t look too good, he appeared almost as if he was drunk or unwell,” he said in a statement read to the inquest. “I thought this because he was moving quite slowly and he was close to the police dogs.”

Mr Di-Cecio said Mr Tomlinson did not appear to be aggressive. “There was no friction or danger of any kind so far as he was concerned.”

He then described the officer pushing Mr Tomlinson “pretty harshly” in the back. “There was no situation of danger, no close contact, not many people around. It struck me as deliberate for the officer to push him in this way,” he said.

“It was a pretty aggressive push… there was no aggressiveness from Mr Tomlinson towards the police officer, and there was no tense situation in that immediate vicinity. Mr Tomlinson fell to the ground pretty hard.”

Mr Di-Cecio later saw Mr Tomlinson being given first aid after he had collapsed nearby. He died a short time later.

The inquest into his death, which is taking place in central London, is expected to last six weeks.