Tomlinson 'looked drunk' at G20
Newspaper vendor knocked down by riot officer had earlier been shepherded out of the police's way at G20 protests
Ian Tomlinson seemed to be "in his own world" and was not responding to police officers on the day he died at the G20 protests, an inquest has heard.
Tomlinson was struck with a baton and pushed to the ground by Metropolitan police officer PC Simon Harwood in the City of London at around 7.20pm on 1 April 2009.
Witnesses have told the jury at the inquest into Tomlinson's death that 10 minutes earlier in a separate location, the 47-year-old newspaper vendor looked drunk as he stood in the middle of the road blocking the way of a police carrier.
The incident on nearby Lombard Street, which was partially captured by photographs, occurred as Tomlinson attempted to find a way home from work past police cordons outside the Bank of England.
The jury heard that officers used minimal force to escort Tomlinson off the road so a carrier van could pass.
A number of witnesses said he had not responded to instructions to move and seemed oblivious to what was going on around him.
"He was open mouthed," said James Stone, a City worker attending a gym on the street, in a statement read out to court. "He had a vacant expression everywhere he looked.
"I remember looking at my watch and seeing that it was 7.15. I saw Mr Tomlinson and thought to myself: 'Boy, does he look wasted.'
The inquest has been told that Tomlinson was an alcoholic and had been drinking on the day he died.
Traffic had been blocked on Lombard Street, which was behind a heavy police cordon of riot officers when Tomlinson arrived.
PC Gareth Edwards, who was driving the van, said he beeped his horn twice, leaned out of the window and shouted at Tomlinson to get out of the way but the father of nine did not react.
The inquest then heard how a number of officers from the police cordon firmly pushed Tomlinson, moving him on to the pavement.
The van does no! t appear to have touched Tomlinson and there was no evidence that he was injured in what appeared to be a minor encounter.
One witness, Warren Fraser, an IT worker taking photographs in the area, said Tomlinson appeared oblivious to his surroundings. "His responses were slow," Fraser said. "He looked as if he was in his own world." Although Tomlinson was calm and did not appear agitated, he said, the encounter, which involved two or three police officers, did prompt some in the crowd to complain.
Fraser said he heard one person, possibly with a megaphone, say: "It takes three policemen to move one old man."
Once the van and gone past, Fraser said an officer gave Tomlinson "an encouraging push", as if to send him away from Lombard Street. But Tomlinson did not immediately leave. "I got the impression that he stayed where he was in order to show independence and defy police," Fraser said.
The hearing continues.
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