Guardian : Ian Tomlinson's death at G20: how events have unfolded

Ian Tomlinson's death at G20: how events have unfolded

Duncan Campbell | April 18, 2009

In the 10 days since the Guardian revealed footage of Ian Tomlinson being attacked from behind by a police officer during the G20 demonstration, there have been a number of significant developments:

• The Independent Police Complaints Commission decided to take over the inquiry into the death, after initially accepting that Tomlinson had died of a heart attack unconnected with events at the protest.

• The Metropolitan police has invited Denis O'Connor, her majesty's chief inspector of constabulary, to conduct an inquiry into the tactics used on the demonstration and in general. O'Connor is one of the most experienced officers in Britain, having been a chief constable of Surrey and assistant commissioner

• The Liberal Democrats have called for a full inquiry into all the events on the day and specifically those surrounding Tomlinson's death.

• The Metropolitan Police Authority is to hold a private meeting next Thursday at which senior officers are to be questioned about the policing of the protest and police tactics at demonstrations in general.

• A second post-mortem examination, held at the request of the Tomlinson family, concluded Tomlinson died of an abdominal haemorrhage. This contradicts the original post-mortem, which suggested he had died of a heart attack.

• The officer suspended in connection with what happened to Tomlinson has been interviewed under caution for the offence of manslaughter.