Community support Tomlinson family

The verdict of unlawful killing at the inquest into the death of Ian Tomlinson has been welcomed across the community in light of the recent spate of black deaths in police custody, writes Matilda MacAttram

It does not comes as a surprise that there is widespread support of the Tomlinson’s family call for a criminal investigation in this case. Given that there has not been one single prosecution of an officer after a death in custody since the case of David Oluwale, in 1969 there is hope that this case will mark a watershed.

The recent deaths of 29-year-old Kingsley Burrell Brown just weeks of Smiley Culture lost his life during a police raid on his home has made the issue of deaths in custody one of national concern for the UK’s African Caribbean communities.

Latest figures show that there have been on average over 500 deaths a year of people while in the custody of the state. Health campaigners note with concern that 62% of these deaths have been of people detained under the Mental Health Act.  The cases of Mikey Powell, Roger Sylvester, Orville Blackwood, Christopher Alder, David Bennett and Sean Rigg have left an indelible mark on the consciousness of Black Britain.  

Monitoring by Inquest shows that there is an institutional unwillingness to approach these deaths as potential homicides or manslaughter.  This has created the perception that state agents are above the law, which has left the community’s confidence in the system in tatters.

The jury’s decision to return a verdict of ‘unlawful killing’ in the case of Ian Tomlinson’s death has led to Director of Public Prosecutions, Keir Starmer QC to do about turn on the decision back in 2009, not to prosecute any officer for the death of the Evening Standard seller.

This inquest has also been the grounds on which Tomlinson’s family are using to call for a full criminal investigation. His Inquest found that the cause of death was 'unlawful killing because of abdominal haemorrhage due to blunt force trauma to the abdomen'.

This judgement comes at the end of a hearing at the International Dispute Resolution Centre in London.  Tomlinson’s family sat through five weeks of damning evidence that has raised questions as to why there was no prior state prosecution of those involved in his death.

In an interesting development, the IPCC announced this afternoon that it will hold PC Simon Harwood’s gross misconduct hearing in public.

While welcomed, Tomlinson’s family lawyers and Inquest have warned that no misconduct hearing should be brought before a criminal case has been heard, in order not to prejudice any prosecution against Harwood.  

This tragic case has put the media spotlight firmly on an area of criminal justice where the community’s faith is at its weakest, if it exists at all.

With evidence from the IPCC showing that a disproportionate number of black men, have lost their lives while in police custody, coupled with the most recent deaths of Olaseni Lewis and  Colin Holt, at the hands of the Police, many hope this case will mark the end of the culture of cover-up.  Also that police and prison officers and other detaining agents are called to account like any other citizen when they fall foul of the law.

Matilda MacAttram – director Black Mental Health UK