The independent police watchdog has issued an appeal for anyone who may have taken photos around the time a man died during last week’s G20 protests in central London to come forward.
The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) issued the appeal as part of the ongoing investigation into the death of Ian Tomlinson, 47, who collapsed in the City of London last Wednesday evening.
‘The investigation is continuing to look through CCTV footage to see whether the incident inside Royal Exchange Passage has been captured and we already have a number of witness accounts from the area,’ said IPCC Commissioner for London Deborah Glass.
‘However, I would ask anyone else who saw Mr Tomlinson at about 7.20pm [1 April] or who may have taken a photo of him around that time to contact us so that we can build up a full picture of what happened.’
The man who died was not taking part in the protest but is believed to have been on his way home when he died of a heart attack.
Initial witness reports suggested that Tomlinson had not come into physical contact with police, according to the IPCC which is managing the investigation.
However, a number of other witnesses have since told the watchdog that Tomlinson did have contact with police officers before he collapsed.
‘Just after 7pm on 1 April Mr Tomlinson can be seen on CCTV walking up King William Street and approaching a police cordon opposite the Bank of England. It is believed he wanted to get through the cordon to continue his walk home from work. Police officers refused to let him through,’ added Glass.
‘A short time later, Mr Tomlinson can be seen on CCTV walking around the corner into Royal Exchange Passage. A number of witnesses have described seeing him there, getting caught up in a crowd and being pushed back by police officers. This is the aspect of the incident that the IPCC is now investigating.’
The IPCC can be contacted on 0800 096 9071.
Picture: This photo was captured at the G20 protests earlier the same day Credit: Chris Cheesman
