Protesting the G20 summit

[Skylace]

Was woken up in the early hours of the morning by the sound of helicopters. Found out there was a riot in Oakland. Not a surprise. When the Steelers won the Super Bowl and the Pens won the Stanley Cup that is where the riots where. Always Oakland.
Seems like overall things were okay. No one was injured and there were about 35 arrests that I heard of.
I'm a bit pissed though. The protesters did attack McDonald's, Quizno's etc but they also attacked Pamela's, which is a wonderful local business. I just remind myself it's the college area and that means it was a lot of college guys who would have joined in just for the riot (like the last ones we had there). Also never keen on the use of tear gas by the police. But I know it could have been worse.

[reject]

Anybody any info on this 'microwave' weapon tecnology being used against protesters...
preferebly not infowars links lol

[funkyfunkpants]

[luke]

its being used in honduras as well by the coup regime against zelaya and the others in the brazilian embassy, which has been condemned by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights

[faceless]

Watch near the end for when 25+ cop cars turn up... and the brutality ensues.

[luke]

Policeman who hit G20 protester with baton mistook drink carton for weapon, court hears
Footage of demonstration in City of London shown at packed court, where sergeant says he 'acted in self-defence'


Sergeant Delroy Smellie has gone on trial accused of common assault by beating.

A police sergeant twice struck a female G20 protester with a metal baton in what he said was "self-defence" after mistaking a carton of orange juice in her hand for a weapon, a court heard today.

Delroy Smellie, 47, a sergeant in the Metropolitan police, said he lashed out at Nicola Fisher, 36, in a "pre-emptive strike" during a confrontation outside the Bank of England on 2 April last year.

Smellie, a member of the Met's elite Territorial Support Group (TSG), went on trial accused of common assault by beating. He denies the charge, and his lawyers said they would argue he was seeking to defend himself and his colleagues.

The trial opened at a packed City of Westminster magistrates court and was shown video footage of the moment he slapped Fisher across the face before drawing his baton and striking her twice. Smellie showed no emotion as the footage played. The incident occurred during a memorial vigil for Ian Tomlinson, the newspaper vendor who had died the previous day after being attacked by another Met officer, also from the TSG.

Opening the case, Nicholas Paul, prosecuting, said Smellie had "lost his self control" during an "excessive and unjustified" attack on Fisher. "He went from level one to level five without considering the intervening steps," said Paul.

Paul showed district judge Daphne Wickham, who is trying the case without a jury, CCTV footage of the police operation and amateur footage of the clash between Smellie and Fisher that was posted on YouTube and handed to the Guardian.

He described the video as the core of the case against Smellie. The court also heard extracts of two interviews between Smellie and officials from the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC).

The judge heard how Smellie told investigators that, after back-handing Fisher, he reached for his baton after noticing Fisher was holding an object.

The prosecutor said: "She had weapons in her hand and he perceived her as a threat." Fisher was in fact carrying an open carton of orange juice, which sprayed over Smellie when he hit her, the court heard.

The prosecutor said Fisher may have been aggressive, but Smellie's actions could not be justified. "Even if her behaviour was irritating and provocative when she was standing in front of Sergeant Smellie, it is plain from the footage and photographs … not in any way [was she] seeking to get involved in an attack.

Footage shown to the court started from around 2:30pm on 1 April, when TSG officers arrived near Royal Exchange to replace officers from City of London police, who had formed a cordon around protesters.

Paul said the "attitude and atmosphere" created by police changed upon the arrival of the TSG.

"There had been reports of people masking up and the unit to which Sgt Smellie was in charge was briefed to contain people within a cordon to prevent a breach of the peace and any other disorder such as had happened the day before," Paul said. "It was these instructions that informed Sgt Smellie's approach to the demonstrators that they dealt with."

The footage showed how moments before the alleged assault a demonstrator attempting to leave the cordon was pushed back by police, prompting an angry response from the crowd.

Fisher approached Smellie before being pushed away. As she moved back towards the officer, the footage showed him strike her with the back of his hand in what the court heard was a legal "clearance-swipe". But as Fisher began shouting "you hit a fucking woman" and moving towards him again, he took out his baton and hit her twice on the legs. The prosecutor said it was these final two blows that were at the centre of the case.

Earlier in proceedings, Wickham refused an application from the defence to get the case thrown out after the alleged victim – Fisher – did not turn up for the first day of the hearing.

Fisher, who had been due to give evidence, was described by the judge in pre-trial argument as having recently been "nervous, weary [and] unsure of whether the CPS [Crown Prosecution Service] is part of the police".

Paul also indicated she may be fearful of the press coverage the trial would receive. From the defence, the court also heard Fisher may be suffering from depression.

While allowing the trial to proceed, Wickham refused, in the absence of Fisher, to accept as evidence a statement she provided to the IPCC on 16 April. The court heard Fisher, from Brighton, had been represented by Max Clifford and sold her story to a national newspaper.

A witness, photography student Beth Wilson, told the court she saw him "use his baton with force". "She didn't appear to be a physical threat to him," she said.

The trial is expected to last four days.

from http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2010/mar/22/policeman-g20-protester-baton-court

[faceless]

A carton of orange juice confused as a weapon? That's the most pathetic defence I've ever heard.

He looks like an extra from an old B+W horror...

[luke]

Ian Tomlinson family waits for answers one year on from G20 protests
Widow says DPP has let her down over failure to decide whether to press charges


Ian Tomlinson walks past a line of police dog handlers during the G20 protests in London.

The widow of Ian Tomlinson, the man who died at the G20 protests, has launched an emotional attack on the director of public prosecutions, accusing him of letting her down over his failure to decide whether the officer who assaulted her husband should be charged with manslaughter.

Julia Tomlinson accused Keir Starmer, who heads the Crown Prosecution Service, of misleading her family. Her comments come days before the anniversary of the death of Tomlinson 12 months ago, and amid growing concern that the police have escaped largely unscathed from their controversial handling of last year's protests in the City of London.

Figures obtained by the Guardian show that although almost 300 complaints were lodged about police behaviour during the G20 demonstrations, not a single officer has faced serious disciplinary action.

Tomlinson, a 47-year-old newspaper seller, had been walking home from work through the protests in the City on 1 April when he was attacked from behind by a member of the Metropolitan police's territorial support group (TSG).

Last August the CPS was asked to consider whether the officer should be charged with manslaughter and, weeks later, Starmer promised swift action. "My view on these things is we should move quickly," he said, adding that he hoped for a decision "in a few months". CPS officials later told the Tomlinson family they could expect a decision by Christmas.

"Keir Starmer has let us down personally," said Julia Tomlinson. "Why did he say there would be a decision around Christmas? Why are we still waiting? My kids need to move on from this. They're left without a dad now and their lives have been turned upside down over the last year, especially the four girls. He doesn't seem to realise the pain we're going through."

She added: "We feel like there was a cover-up from day one, and we didn't see it because we were nervous about the police. Now a year on it still feels like all of that is still going on. If it had been someone on the street, a civilian, who had pushed and hit Ian just before he died, and it was all caught on video, surely something would have happened by now. The officer needs to go before a jury. Let them decide what should happen to him."

Last night the CPS said that delays were due to outstanding clarification required from the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC), which initially investigated the death. "In December the CPS asked the IPCC to undertake some further inquiries. Having received that material, in February the CPS asked the IPCC for clarification of further evidence that is crucial to the issues in this case."

Human rights campaigners and MPs will join the Tomlinson family near the Bank of England on Thursday to lay flowers near the spot where he died. They plan to release a letter complaining about the "intolerable" inaction over his death, which they say raises serious questions about the police complaints process.

While a large number of officers were the subject of complaints after the G20, the number of protesters to have been prosecuted has been small in comparison with other major demonstrations.

Data held by the CPS shows that seven members of the public have so far been convicted of violent conduct, criminal damage and public order offences at or during the demonstration, including a handful who were identified as having taken part in the ransacking of a branch of the Royal Bank of Scotland. A further eight G20 prosecutions are pending, while two resulted in acquittals .

Prosecutors dropped charges in their largest case, which involved 11 members of the Space Hijackers, an anarchist group whose members arrived at G20 protests in a tank, dressed in police-style helmets and boiler suits. The theatrical activists, some wearing red stockings, were arrested and later charged with impersonating police officers. They are suing the Met for wrongful arrest and false imprisonment.

However, hundreds of officers have been forced to explain their actions after complaints from the public. In total the IPCC received 296 complaints about police behaviour, and decided to independently investigate six.

They included the Tomlinson case, and that of a 23-year-old woman who was told by a doctor she may have suffered a miscarriage after being kicked, punched and pushed with shields and batons. The IPCC found that despite the woman's serious injuries, she was not allowed out of a police cordon for more than five hours.

Another case involved a TSG sergeant, Delroy Smellie, who went on trial this week accused of assaulting a female protester at a memorial vigil for Tomlinson on 2 April. Footage posted on YouTube was played to Westminster magistrates court showing Smellie, 47, back-handing protester Nicola Fisher, 36, before striking her twice on the legs with his baton.

Fisher, who was described by witnesses as having been aggressive towards the police, failed to turn up to give evidence, while Smellie, who denies assault, said he mistook the camera and carton of orange juice the activist was carrying for weapons. A district judge is expected to hand down a verdict in the case next week.

More than 200 IPCC complaints – the majority – were forwarded to internal police complaints departments, which received supervision from the IPCC in about 60 cases. Some of those cases are still undecided, according to provisional figures obtained by the Guardian.

The data show that only a tiny fraction of complaints have been upheld, while several officers escaped with "words of advice" or written warnings.

Of the cases adjudicated by the Met's directorate of professional standards, the largest complaints unit, 195 were found to be unsubstantiated, withdrawn, dispensed with or otherwise discontinued, with only two substantiated. Both officers received written warnings.

Police reform campaigners argue that the failure to discipline officers has exposed an ineffective police complaints system that has led to a "culture of impunity".

In the four years leading up to the protests, for example, the TSG, the specialist unit of 730 officers at the centre of controversy after the G20, received more than 5,000 complaints, mostly for "oppressive behaviour". Of those, only nine were substantiated after an investigation by the Met's internal complaints unit.

In their defence, senior officers at the Met say they have learned from their mistakes at the G20, and there is evidence of a change in the tactics used at demonstrations.

Next week the Association of Chief Police Officers will release for consultation a "manual" for policing protests, setting out revised guidance for officers which emphasises their duty to facilitate peaceful protest.

Home Office ministers have also produced a code of practice, likely to be unveiled after the election.

Both documents seek to implement the far-reaching reforms called for by Denis O'Connor, the chief inspector of constabulary. His report last year into public order policing, a direct response to the G20 controversy, went further than many expected, warning that the police risked losing public support unless they adopted a more impartial, accountable style of policing rooted in "public consent".

O'Connor's findings echoed the conclusions of two parliamentary inquiries into the Met's handling of the G20, both of which made serious criticisms about some police treatment of protesters and journalists.

Already, the Met and other forces have adopted a "community-style" approach to protest, rolling back on the widespread use of forward intelligence teams, the units used to openly monitor protesters, and cutting down on the use of anti-terrorist legislation against activists. The protest movement is sceptical that the change will be lasting.

For the Tomlinson family, who have asked the public to gather at 11am on Thursday, it is not police reform that they will be calling for, but justice.

"In the last year there have been all these reports about policing protest but they don't seem to want to mention Ian," Julia Tomlinson said. "We just need a few more people on our side, to say Ian was a decent person who should have been allowed to walk home from work to watch the football that night. And for that to happen to him was wrong."

New York banker who shot the Tomlinson video

I was at Bank station again a few days ago, and it was quite strange being back. Naturally, the area had returned to normal as the shops were open, no one was throwing bottles and people were busily running around after work; it was as though nothing of consequence had happened.

I've been greeted by everything from admiration to derision for releasing this video to the public, as I put myself at potentially great risk by doing so. My motive was and remains to aid truth and closure for the family, though in hindsight it has become much more than that.

As the press coverage went on following the Tomlinson incident, it felt more and more clear that the circumstances of the death were being covered up. Given a few weeks, Mr Tomlinson would have become another tragic footnote and then forgotten. His family deserved more than that.

Of course, I could not know that the case would grab the nation's attention the way it did. I'm gratified that this incident sparked a needed policy review, as it became evident later that police aggression during public events was happening more often than it should.

I ask myself "What if?" a lot about that day. What if the police had not called in the dogs, which started a panic in the crowd? What if Mr Tomlinson were 5ft further away, just out of reach of the baton? What if, sensing danger as he got too close to the line, I had just walked 20ft up to him and escorted him to safety?

None of us could have known what was to happen, but those possibilities still weigh on me nonetheless."

[major.tom]

[faceless]

Pig who hit G20 protester with baton cleared of assault
A pig riot squad officer who hit a G20 protester twice with a metal baton has been cleared of assault.
31 Mar 2010

Metropolitan Police Sergeant Delroy Smellie, 47, clashed with animal rights activist Nicola Fisher outside the Bank of England last April. The officer, a member of the controversial territorial support group, went on trial accused of assault by beating last week. He was cleared on Wednesday at City of Westminster Magistrates' Court. But he could still face misconduct proceedings over the incident.

Smellie, who was standing in the dock for the verdict, smiled widely and gave two thumbs up to his supporters as he was cleared. District Judge Daphne Wickham said there was no evidence that his use of the baton was not approved, correct or measured. She said the officer had a "mere seven seconds" to act and other witnesses also feared for his safety.

She said: "It was for the prosecution to prove this defendant was not acting in lawful self-defence. I have found the prosecution has failed in this respect and the defendant has raised the issue of lawful self-defence and as such is entitled to be acquitted."

Ms Fisher, 36, ran in front of Smellie hurling abuse during a vigil to mark the death of Ian Tomlinson the previous evening. District Judge Wickham, who heard the case without a jury, watched video footage of the incident and looked at dozens of photographs.

Nicholas Paul, of the Crown Prosecution Service, said Smellie lost his self-control because of Ms Fisher's irritating, aggressive and confrontational actions. He said the officer was justified when he shouted at her, pushed her back and struck her with the back of his hand, knocking off her sunglasses. But Mr Paul said the officer went too far when he struck Ms Fisher across the thigh with the extendable metal weapon, known as an asp.

The clash attracted attention worldwide when amateur video footage of it was posted on the YouTube website. Ms Fisher, of Brighton, suffered two bruises to her leg and enlisted Max Clifford to sell her story to a national newspaper for around £26,000. She failed to attend the trial claiming she was suffering depression and did not want to be in the public spotlight again.

In his defence, Smellie said he feared for his safety when he was left isolated behind a line of his colleagues who were facing the other way. The highly-trained and experienced officer, who has been suspended from duty for almost a year, said his actions were reasonable and proportionate. Smellie said he mistook a carton of orange juice and a camera in Ms Fisher's hands as weapons when she approached from his "blind-side". He had been on duty for about 28 hours with only a three-hour break when his unit received an urgent call to join colleagues in the City on April 2.

A line of City of London Police officers had complained of being hit by missiles as a large group of people gathered, some of whom were hooded and carrying flags. Smellie has served at some of the most volatile protests of recent years, including those marking a visit by US president George W Bush. Colleagues described him as an exceptional and totally dedicated officer who served as an example to others.

------------------

Here's hoping this prick gets some justice handed to him on the streets. I'd stand and laugh.

[major.tom]

...and quaff my OJ in his face...

The sentiment this judgment inspires might best be summed up in the word "bollocks".

[luke]

Police officers must face trial by jury
The ridiculous acquittal of a Met sergeant for striking a protester armed with a drink carton proves how important it is to try police officers by jury

I don't think I'm the only one gawping in disbelief at yesterday's acquittal of Delroy Smellie, a sergeant in the Territorial Support Group of the Metropolitan Police. He was accused of assault after hitting Nicola Fisher at a protest in London on 2 April last year. She had gathered with others to commemorate Ian Tomlinson, who had died after being pushed over by police at the G20 protests the day before. Sgt Smellie hit Fisher across the face with the back of his hand, then twice on her legs with his baton, knocking her to the ground.

The judge, Daphne Wickham, said, "It was for the prosecution to prove this defendant was not acting in lawful self-defence. I have found the prosecution has failed in this respect and the defendant has raised the issue of lawful self-defence and as such is entitled to be acquitted." There was no jury.

In other words, Smellie was acquitted on the grounds that he was acting in self-defence. All I have to go on is the video evidence, but, having watched it several times, I find this verdict amazing.

Smellie argued that he had mistaken the drinks carton in Nicola Fisher's hand for a weapon. I wasn't in court to hear all the evidence, but however many times I watch the incident, I cannot see how he formed that impression. When he hit her on the legs, she was holding the carton at arm's length, far away from him, while using the same hand to point to something away to her right. The carton was clearly in view, and she was wasn't making any threatening gesture with it.

Smellie said: "At the time, I thought, 'This is it. She is deliberately coming from a blind spot. The reason she is coming from a blind spot is to hide her intention so she can approach and attack her target – me.'"

But when he hit her on the legs, she wasn't coming from anywhere. She was standing still and pointing. And the idea that this huge, well-armed man could have felt, as he claimed, threatened by that tiny woman seems laughable to me. It certainly isn't the impression the footage creates. He very calmly, almost casually, draws his baton and knocks her down, then immediately switches his attention to someone else.

Perhaps the prosecution put together a lousy case (it can't have helped that Fisher wouldn't testify), or perhaps the judge is right to maintain there was "no evidence that his use of the baton was not approved, correct or measured", though if that's true it suggests there's something gravely wrong with the Met's procedures. As I argued in my column this week, the force's handling of protests is abysmal. In this case, the aggro to which Smellie was responding was manufactured by the Met's decision to kettle (encircle) the demonstrators, transforming a peaceful vigil into a tense encounter.

But the obvious question is: where the hell was the jury? The courts and prosecutors are renowned for their lenient treatment of police officers. The need for a jury trial in these cases is even more pressing than in others. Watch the video and see what you think.

And, to see how differently such charges are prosecuted when the suspect isn't a police officer, check out this case, in which a busker appears to have been assaulted by police, then charged with – and, last week, convicted of – assault. If the account here can be believed, it's a gross miscarriage of justice.

from http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/georgemonbiot/2010/apr/01/george-monbiot-police-trial-by-jury

[luke]

Jury acquits G20 protester accused of being ringleader in clashes
Crown court clears Harvie Brown of violent disorder in case that challenged police version of events


Harvie Brown suffered several injuries after police tried to 'kettle' protesters during the G20 demonstrations in London

His bloodied face became the symbol of violent G20 demonstrators seemingly intent on attacking police. But the man whose angry remonstrations with police at the protests in April last year were relayed live on television news, and later emblazoned across newspaper front pages, was not the rioter he was depicted as.

A jury at Isleworth crown court in Middlesex took 30 minutes to clear Harvie Brown, 31, of violent disorder this week, in a case that challenged the police version of events and established that his injuries were probably inflicted by officers.

Brown was among several hundred protesters "kettled" by police near the Bank of England on 1 April last year. Attempts to contain anti-capitalist and green activists inside cordons led to angry confrontations and clashes.

Brown was caught between lines of baton-wielding police attempting to push the crowd back. Many at the front, including Brown, from Glasgow, were unable to obey the police orders as the agitated crowd behind them tried to surge forward. Many were struck with batons.

The court heard Brown's injuries – two head wounds and a broken tooth – could have been inflicted by police.

In court, Brown was accused of being the ringleader of an aggressive group of rioters, encouraging the crowd to attack police officers – a charge he denied. He faced three years in jail if found guilty.

Initial press reports suggested Brown was goading officers into a confrontation.

"I was shocked when I was released from the police station in the early hours of 2 April to see that I was plastered all over the newspapers and described as a violent agitator at the G20 protests," Brown said tonight.

"I was distressed that I was made out to be the aggressor. I was also very upset that the emphasis of the reporting, which I felt should have been on the demonstration against the causes of the financial crisis, had turned into a focus on what was described as anti-police behaviour."

Witnesses told the court that Brown spent much of the protest distressed and in tears, upset at police treatment.

Rhona Friedman, defending, said: "This was a prosecution that should never have been brought. Footage and photographs show that Mr Brown was repeatedly struck by police officers without resorting to violent retaliation. "Members of the jury were seen to flinch at footage of police officers deploying baton strikes against people in the crowd. When asked to decide who was guilty of unlawful violence and who was not, the jury could not have more clearly decided in Mr Brown's favour."

Despite initial claims by police about violence caused by protesters G20, there have been relatively few convictions for a demonstration of its size.

Seven people have so far been convicted of violent conduct, criminal damage and public order offences at or during the demonstration, including a handful who were identified as having taken part in the ransacking of a branch of the Royal Bank of Scotland. A further five prosecutions are pending, while five have resulted in acquittals.

Prosecutors dropped charges in their largest case, which involved 11 members of the Space Hijackers, an anarchist group whose members arrived at G20 protests in a tank, dressed in police-style helmets and boiler suits. The activists, some wearing red stockings, were arrested and charged with impersonating police officers. They are suing the Met for wrongful arrest and false imprisonment.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2010/jun/11/g20-protester-harvie-brown-cleared

[luke]

No disciplinary action for G20 assault case officer

A police thug cleared of assault after being filmed hitting a G20 protester in central London with a metal baton will not be disciplined.

Sergeant Delroy Smellie, 47, was reinstated by the Metropolitan Police within hours of walking free from court in March.

A district judge found he was justified in hitting animal rights activist Nicola Fisher during clashes outside the Bank of England on April 2 last year. But the trial highlighted how he was not wearing identification numerals and had been working for 28 hours with only a three-hour break.

The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) published its final report into the controversial incident on Thursday.

Officials said senior officers agreed with their recommendation that there was no misconduct case to answer. But they recommended that the Met ensured officers wore identification at all times and reviewed their shift patterns to make sure public order officers get a break.

Deborah Glass, of the IPCC, said: "Now that proceedings are concluded, we are publishing our final report. Most of the detail is already in the public domain as a result of Sergeant Smellie's trial, but, given the public interest in the case, I believe it is important to ensure there is a public record of the investigation and our findings."

Sgt Smellie has become a figure of hate for many demonstrators who have already published internet pictures of him back on the front line. The officer, a member of the force's controversial Territorial Support Group, was accused of beating Miss Fisher. But a judge ruled there was no evidence that his use of the extendable weapon to defend himself was unreasonable in the circumstances.

Amateur video footage of Sgt Smellie clashing with Miss Fisher was watched around the world after it was posted on YouTube. The incident took place on the fringe of a heated demonstration to mark the death of Ian Tomlinson.

The footage showed the officer pushing her, roaring at her to go away, hitting her with the back of his hand and eventually striking her twice with the baton. Prosecutors said all the officer's actions were justified, except the baton strikes, which went too far.

But Sgt Smellie argued that he feared for his safety and that of his colleagues after being caught behind the backs of a line of officers. Miss Fisher, who sold her story for £26,000, said she was "disappointed" with the result of the four-day trial, which she did not attend due to illness.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ukpress/article/ALeqM5jaYumijpLU1Gkn_JwYV6Z5tHqo5w

[luke]

Ian Tomlinson death: police officer will not face criminal charges
G20 riot officer filmed striking down newspaper seller will not face charges, CPS rules

The police officer who was caught on video striking a man during the G20 protests last year who later died will not face criminal charges, the Crown Prosecution Service announced today.

Ian Tomlinson died following the demonstrations on 1 April 2009 in central London. The official account that he died from a heart attack was undermined when the Guardian obtained video footage showing a riot officer striking Tomlinson with a baton and shoving him to the ground shortly before the newspaper seller collapsed and died.

The director of public prosecutions, Keir Starmer QC, announced this morning that the police officer had no case to answer.

The decision will enrage Tomlinson's family, who believe the officer's attack had contributed to the death. They had wanted a charge of manslaughter to be brought.

The family went to the headquarters of the CPS in London to be told of the decision. The police officer, who is suspended from duty, was told at the same time. He could still face disciplinary action.

Tomlinson had his hands in his pockets and his back to the officer when he was hit.The video footage suggests that no other police officer went to his aid and it was left to a bystander to lift him to his feet. He appeared to stumble about 100 metres down Cornhill, clutching his side, before collapsing a second time.

Police initially led Tomlinson's wife and nine children to believe he died of a heart attack after being caught up in the demonstration. In statements to the press, police claimed attempts by officers to save his life by resuscitation were impeded by protesters.

The first police account that he died from a heart attack was confirmed by a pathologist in the initial postmortem examination.

But a second postmortem, conducted on behalf of the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC), found Tomlinson died from internal bleeding.

The CPS announcement comes five years to the day since another landmark incident involving police use of force. On 22 July 2005, officers shot dead Jean Charles de Menezes after mistaking him for a terrorist who was about to detonate a bomb. Then, the family of the innocent Brazilian criticised the CPS for failing to bring criminal charges against any individual.

The Tomlinson family had criticised the time it took the CPS to reach their decision.

The investigation into the death of Tomlinson, 47, was conducted by the IPCC. Investigators are understood to have reached a clear view as to whether or not enough evidence existed to support criminal charges.

Investigators were able to complete their inquiries in just four months and submitted a file to the CPS by August.

Key to the investigation were hundreds of hours of footage and thousands of images shot by bystanders at the protest, which enabled them to piece together Tomlinson's last 30 minutes alive.

CPS officials assured the family they would decide on whether to prosecute the officer – and on what charge – by Christmas 2009.

The CPS has given various explanations for the delays, and claim they have had to return to the IPCC for clarification several times on different issues.

There are also understood to have been complications surrounding the evidence of an expert witness.

The IPCC itself was late in mounting an inquiry, claiming there was nothing suspicious about the death for almost a week until the release of footage of the incident obtained by the Guardian forced a U-turn.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2010/jul/22/ian-tomlinson-police-not-charged

no surprise really, but still fucking outrageous