The Hillsborough Panel performed a wonderful service, extracting the truth which 2 judges, a coroner, the police and several ministers failed to do. Is this therefore the prototype for the future? The reason the panel succeeded so dramatically was that they concentrated on getting access to and publishing key documents rather than the adversarial legalisms […]
Posts Tagged ‘Ian Tomlinson’
The disturbing implications of Freddy Patel
Aug 27th, 2012 by Michael Meacher.The disgraced pathologist, Freddy Patel, has now been stripped of his right to practice. However, it is deeply disturbing that accountability for his malpractice has taken a whole decade to come into effect. The failure of the authorities to act on the evidence of misconduct, incompetence and dishonesty over public issues of such importance throughout […]
One law for police and another for everyone else
Jul 20th, 2012 by Michael Meacher.The whole episode of the killing of Ian Tomlinson brings into stark relief the deep doubts about the criminal justice system in its treatment of the police. First, the IPCC whose role is to hold the police to account resisted calls to open an investigation for 7 days after Tomlinson’s death. They only reversed this […]
How far can we trust the police?
May 12th, 2011 by Michael Meacher.The evidence coming out of the Tomlinson trial is a serious challenge to police integrity. We now know that two days after Ian Tomlinson died, three Met constables admitted they had seen a colleague hit him with a baton and push him to the ground. Yet senior officers at City of London police failed to […]
When the State Kills
Aug 6th, 2010 by Liz Davies.On the day of the G20 demonstration in the City of London, April 1 2009, PC Stephen Harwood wore full riot gear, wielded a long baton, held a shield, had a balaclava over his face and a helmet on, and his police identification number obscured. Ian Tomlinson was wearing two sweatshirts and had his hands […]