Tomlinson 'was not confrontational'
Christopher La Jaunie, who shot film of PC Simon Harwood shoving newspaper vendor to ground, gives evidence
Ian Tomlinson was "not confrontational at all" when he was "violently shoved" by a police officer at the London G20 protests, the man who filmed the incident told an inquest.
Christopher La Jaunie, from New York, on Thursday said he was in the City for a conference and decided to take a colleague to watch the protests. Once the police brought dogs out on the streets he took out a compact digital camera and commenced filming.
La Jaunie later passed his film to The Guardian, casting doubt on earlier police claims that Tomlinson, a 47-year-old newspaper vendor, who died within an hour of being struck by a police baton and pushed to the ground, had suffered a heart attack unrelated to his treatment.
La Jaunie told Alison Hewitt, counsel to the inquest, that he was about 10ft from the police "frontline" when tension began rising shortly after 6.30pm on 1 April 2009.
"There was a bit of a frontline with the police and protestors. One protester had obviously had some kind of altercation, he was bleeding from the head and so I went to see what was going on."
He said that police started kettling the protesters towards the Royal Exchange building in Cornhill after bottles were thrown.
"Once the police had brought the dogs out there was certainly more an air of fear and people started to back away from that line. A few people dared to go close and I saw Mr Tomlinson just sort of wandering very close to that line. He was obviously trying to get through. That's what caught my attention.
"It looked to me as if he was trying to get through. They let a few people through but once they cut the line off no one could get through.
"My impression of him was that he certainly was not involved in what was going on, he was not a protester. He was caught in the crowd and just wanted to get somewhere."
Asked about his impression of Tomlinson, he said:! "He was moving slowly but nothing more than that.
"I am not sure he was really engaged with the protests itself. I think he was more determined to just be on his way. Anyone who got too close to the line I think risked some type of action by the police.
"Mr Tomlinson piqued my interest because he was getting very close to the police and they did not look accommodating to someone approaching them.
"He was facing the police and basically trying to negotiate, like he was just trying to get there and being turned away. Just by hand gestures it looked like he was trying to explain to them, 'I need to get over here' and then was obviously refused."
Asked again about Tomlinson's demeanour by Hewitt, La Jaune replied: "So you are asking me if I thought he was intoxicated? No, not particularly.
"He was not confrontational at all, he had his hands in his pockets, it was clear now he wasn't going to get through so he turned his back to walk away.
"Once his back was turned, I mean a push is a very polite term. He was rather violently shoved. His hands were in his pockets so when he flew forward he was unable to break his fall."
Describing the film he was shooting he said: "His head goes out of the frame but I saw it. He hit the ground, his head hit the ground."
La Jaune said he saw the police officer responsible "with no badge and a balaclava and riot gear. I saw who it was, I couldn't see his face".
He added that he saw the officer pull out a baton, which he used to strike Tomlinson before shoving him. Although the officer had his baton out, from where he was standing he "mostly saw the shove".
And he admitted that he was afraid to draw attention to himself by focussing on the officer with his camera in case "he would come after me".
La Jaune said Tomlinson "eventually sat up and someone came to his aid and from what I could tell he appeared to ask 'Why did you do that?' The police didn't respond and he eventually got up and stumbled away."
Shortly a! fter, La Jaune saw a man lying on the pavement some distance away. "It was further up Cornhill, don't remember, it was quite chaotic. I saw him lying there on his back. He looked very unwell, somewhat ashen, he looked like he was about to pass out." La Jaune said it was clear to him that it was the same man he had filmed.
Tomlinson died after being 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.
Earlier, PC Andrew Hayes, who was working alongside PC Harwood as a carrier driver in the Territorial Support Group on the day, told the inquest that PC Harwood had not told him about striking and pushing Tomlinson when they were writing up their notes on the day's events.
Matthew Ryder QC, counsel for Tomlinson's family, asked Hayes: "Did he at any time tell you that he had made baton strikes on what appeared to be a middle-aged man?"
Hayes replied: "No."
"Did he at any time tell you that he had pushed a man to the floor?"
"No."
"Or that the man had been helped by a younger person, or anything of that kind?"
"No."
The inquest continues.
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