Ian Tomlinson inquest – live updates

Blog home

Full coverage of the inquest into the death of newspaper vendor Ian Tomlinson after he was struck by police during the G20 protests in London in 2009

• Watch the new video footage shown to the jury

A video image of Ian Tomlinson about to be pushed by a police officer at the G20 summit in London. He died shortly afterwards. Photograph: Sarah Lee for the Guardian

2.13pm: Tagg has explained the considerable lengths to which the IPCC went to obtain the footage.

He said there was a variety of types of footage: street CCTV, images recorded by a helicopter, "handheld footage" shot by bystanders on camcorders, cameras and mobile phones, and footage obtained by news organisations.

Investigators employed a company to trawl the internet for footage uploaded to YouTube and other websites. They found more than 5,000 instances of images put on the internet.

2.12pm: The first witness is up. Keith Tagg is an investigator at the Independent Police Complaints Commission. His job was to retrieve and compile the video evidence.

2.09pm: For those interested, a draft list of witnesses has been uploaded on to the Tomlinson inquest website.

They include Tomlinson's widow, Julia, and his son, Paul King. We could hear from both shortly.

2.03pm: Proceedings have resumed.

Thanks for all the messages over lunch. To clarify one of the points raised by readers: the compilation video footage, which you can now view below, is not comprehensive. It was a snapshot of Tomlinson's last moments, from when he left Monument tube station, where he sold newspapers, to his arrival on Royal Exchange Buildings, where he encountered Harwood, and finished with him being carried away on a stretcher by police.

1.14pm: A quick reminder. For legal reasons we can't allow you to post comments on this blog, but you can email me in confidence at paul.lewis@guardian.co.uk or message me on Twitter. Questions and suggestions are useful.

1.02pm: A really important point I didn't get round to posting earlier: in his opening remarks Thornton said the cause of Tomlinson's death would be an area of contention, and he made specific reference to the divergent conclusions of three different pathologists in the case.

The first pathologist to examine the body, Dr [Freddy] Patel, concluded that Mr Tomlinson's death was consistent with natural causes, in the sense that he had coronary artery disease and could have died at any time.

The second and third pathologists, Dr [Nat] Cary and Dr [Kenneth] Shorrock came to different conclusions. They concluded that the immediate cause of the death was bleeding into the abdomen.

Dr Cary concluded that internal bleeding appeared to have arisen as a result of some blunt force trauma to the abdomen, such as from Ian Tomlinson being pushed and falling, with his right arm being trapped under the body, impacting on his liver and causing it to bleed.

It is likely to be a controversial area in the inquest. There is likely to be controversy about the finding by Dr Patel in the first postmortem about the presence of fluid in the abdomen, and the extent it contained blood.

12.54pm: The coroner has adjourned proceedings until after lunch. The jury were apparently informed as they got back on the coach after visiting the scene.

12.39pm: The jury have just been taken by bus to the scene of Tomlinson's death. They're being given a quick "view" of the area. Here is the summary of the footage they saw ... ... or you can now watch it here

18.55pm. Tomlinson leaves Monument tube station, where he had been selling the Evening Standard newspaper. CCTV captures him walking north up King William Street, where he encounters a police cordon that he cannot pass.

19.09pm. Turned away from the cordon, Tomlinson tries to make his way down adjacent Lombard Street. Riot police in Nato helmets are shown pushing Tomlinson away. Various cameras, including street CCTV and those in shop windows, capture him walking along in his distinctive grey Millwall football T-shirt.

19.17pm. Still trying to find a way through police cordons set up around the Bank of England, Tomlinson arrives in Change Alley. The footage shows uniformed officers waving him away. He turns back and makes his way toward Cornhill.

19.18pm. Tomlinson arrives in Cornhill, and makes his way along Royal Exchange Buildings, a pedestrianised area. CCTV footage from inside a Mont Blanc gift shop shows Tomlinson standing near some bicycles as a line of riot officers, some of whom are dog handlers, moves him away. The coroner said they had been ordered to clear the area.

19.19pm. Video shows Harwood approach Tomlinson from behind, strike his left thigh with a baton and push him to the ground. Tomlinson is propelled forward and hits the pavement. "[Harwood] appears to push Mr Tomlinson in the back and Mr Tomlinson falls over. There may be no dispute about that," Thornton said. "PC Harwood accepted later that he did those things, and gave his reasons for doing them." A bystander is shown helping Tomlinson to his feet, before he begins making his way down Cornhill.

19.22pm. Tomlinson collapses about 100 metres down the road, outside a Starbucks cafe. In some of the most distressing footage, he is shown lying motionless on his back. A medical student, Lucy Apps, attempts to help Tomlinson. After a few minutes, riot officers arrive and push Apps and other bystanders out of the way.

19.27pm. Police helicopter footage shows police medics gathered around Tomlinson, as crackling radio messages indicated police realise there is a serious casualty. The medics do not appear to immediately give CPR and there is no immediate evidence that his treatment is interfered with by protesters, who have gathered nearby.

19.30pm. The same helicopter captures the officers placing Tomlinson on a stretcher and carrying him back toward Cornhill. They are last seen taking him behind a heavy line of riot police into what is described over a police radio as a "sterile area".

12.06pm: It has taken a long time for this inquest to get under way. But now we're off, things are moving really quickly. The footage of Tomlinson's last 30 minutes alive moved his family to tears and his son, Richard King, had to momentarily leave the room. Most of the significant footage - showing the encounter between Tomlinson and Harwood - has been shown in public before.

But the compilation included footage weaved together from still photographs, CCTV images, footage shot by bystanders and helicopter footage, and the disturbing images of the aftermath of his collapse on Cornhill is new.

We're trying to get a CD of the footage uploaded to this blog as soon as possible, but in the meantime I'll give you a summary of what was shown.

12.00pm: The coroner has provided a useful summary of seven elements of the inquest. They are:

1. The background of Ian Tomlinson.
2. The policing context relevant to the G20 protests.
3. The training of and instructions provided to Harwood.
4. Harwood's movements, and other relevant events, including a dog bite to Tomlinson's leg and a possible push by another officer.
5. Tomlinson's encounter with Harwood.
6. Tomlinson's collapse and the assistance given to him.
7. The medical evidence.

11.53am: In his opening remarks, the coroner told the jury their task was to find the cause of death of Tomlinson. In summary, he:

• Warned the jury to avoid researching the abundance of material about his death available on the internet, as well as press reports from the inquest.

• Told the jury to ignore the fact that the director of public prosecutions (DPP) chose not to bring criminal proceedings against the officer. "That was not a final decision, but a provisional decision," he said. "He may review that decision after the inquest."

• Stated that the inquest would consider some broader issues, but would not be as wide-reaching as a public inquiry. "Nobody is on trial. No organisation is on trial. You as the jury will not decide any question of civil or criminal liability."

• Gave a summary of Tomlinson's last 30 minutes alive. He explained how he left Monument tube station, where he had been selling the Evening Standard newspaper, shortly before 7pm. He made his way north, encountering several police cordons, before his encounter with PC Simon Harwood at Royal Exchange buildings.

11.44am: The video shown to the jury is a compilation of still pictures, CCTV footage and pictures taken from a police helicopter. It shows the newspaper seller trying to find a way through the various streets in the area, many of which were cordoned off. The helicopter footage shows police medics treating Tomlinson after he fell to the ground in Cornhill.

11.38am: In his opening remarks, the coroner summarised the events leading up to Tomlinson's death. He told the jury that it wasn't clear where Tomlinson was heading on the evening he died, but it's possible he was heading home to a hostel in the Smithfield area.

The jury was also told that Tomlinson suffered from alcoholism and had been drinking that day. The jury members were then shown a compilation of video footage, which has not been seen before. Later, the jury will visit the location in the City of London where Tomlinson died.

10.57am: Welcome to the first day of our coverage of the inquest into the death of Ian Tomlinson, a newspaper seller who was struck by police during the G20 protests in London in 2009.

Judge Peter Thornton QC, a senior judge sitting as assistant deputy coroner, is overseeing proceedings, which in fact began yesterday with legal argument that we are unable to report.

A jury of seven men and five women were sworn in at 2.15pm, after what Thornton conceded was an "unusually protracted process" due to the limited number of suitable candidates in London's Square Mile. They were sent home while the legal debates continued.

Over the next five to six weeks the jury will determine Tomlinson's cause of death, deciding specifically whether he was unlawfully killed by police. I'll be live-blogging, tweeting, and writing reports. You can email me in confidence at paul.lewis@guardian.co.uk or message me on Twitter.

Tomlinson's family, most of whom are in the hearing today, have been waiting almost exactly two years since the day of his death to get to this point. It has been a long road, so here is a brief recap of how we got here.

Tomlinson died on 1 April 2009, the day of the G20 protests in London. He was not a protester, but was trying to pick a route home through the City of London. Many of the streets around the Bank of England had been cordoned off by police detaining activists in "kettles", and Tomlinson found himself caught up in the crowds.

He was struck by a police officer around 7.30pm on Cornhill. Police initially claimed he died of natural causes and there was no investigation by the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC). That changed six days later, when the Guardian released video footage showing Tomlinson being struck from behind then pushed in the back by a member of the Met's Territorial Support Group (TSG). Tomlinson, who had his back to the officer and his hands in his pockets, fell to the ground and was unable to break his fall. He collapsed and died shortly afterwards.

In July last year, the director of public prosecutions, Keir Starmer, announced there would be no charges laid against the officer who struck Tomlinson.