09/04/2009

Police Watchdog To Question G20 Officer

A police watchdog is to interview the officer thought to be shown on video pushing a man at the G20 summit protests, who later died.

The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) confirmed the officer identified himself to investigators on Wednesday.

A Metropolitan Police spokesman said no officers had been suspended.

He added: "A total of four officers, inclusive of this officer, have now come forward with potentially relevant information in relation to the investigation into the death of Mr Tomlinson."

The IPCC has also ordered a second post mortem examination as part of its inquiry.

The police officer was seen apparently hitting Ian Tomlinson with a baton and pushing him to the ground.

The 47-year-old - a newspaper vendor in the city, who was walking home from work - suffered a heart attack afterwards, outside the Bank of England in central London.

A spokeswoman for the IPCC said: "The IPCC can confirm that we now have the details of the Metropolitan Police officer who we believe appears in the footage we recovered last night, and who appears to make contact with Ian Tomlinson."

The Guardian newspaper received the footage, believed to have been filmed by a New York fund manager, which appears to show Mr Tomlinson being pushed by an officer.

Also, new footage, taken by a Channel 4 News cameraman, shows an officer apparently hitting him left-handed with a baton, then pushing him to the ground.

(JM/BMcC)

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