Ian Tomlinson's last words revealed at G20 inquest

'The fuckers got me' said newspaper seller as he collapsed after being knocked down by riot policeman, court hears

Ian Tomlinson, the newspaper seller knocked down by a police officer at the G20 protests, muttered "the fuckers got me" moments before he died.

The inquest into his death has already heard how Tomlinson, a father of nine, was struck with a baton and pushed to the ground by police officer Simon Harwood minutes before he died in the City of London.

Describing what may have been Tomlinson's last words, a bystander told the jury in the case that he watched Tomlinson colllapse about 100 metres from where he had been pushed.

The former City worker Kamran Saleem, now a charity manager, said: "He said something along the lines of 'They got me, the fuckers got me.' His voice was more quiet than normal and there was an anger to it but probably more surprised than anything."

The jury, which is sitting at a venue in Fleet Street, London, has heard how Tomlinson was repeatedly turned away from police cordons near the Bank of England.

The 47-year-old had been attempting to find his way home from work before he finally encountered Harwood, a member of the Metropolitan Police's territorial support group (TSG).

Harwood, a van driver who had strayed from his vehicle, has accepted Tomlinson posed no threat to him or anyone else when he struck him. He said he did so because he believed the newspaper seller posed a "breach of the peace" under common law.

The heavy push sent Tomlinson sprawling to the ground on Royal Exchange Buildings at around 7.20pm on 1 April 2009.

Tomlinson was helped to his feet by a bystander and stumbled along Cornhill for a minute or two before collapsing outside a Starbucks coffee shop. Saleem said he saw Tomlinson stagger along Cornhill "as if he was drunk" before falling to the ground "like a tree".

"He was kind of swaying as he came up the road, kind of staggering from left to right," he told Alison Hewitt QC, counsel to the inquest. "Just before I saw him fall over when he was coming up he kind of shook his head as if to like clear his head.

"And that was when he fell into the wall on his left-hand side. It was like he was not in charge of his body, it was like a tree falling over. His arms were by his side and there was no reaction when he hit the wall.

"It was a forceful impact."

Saleem said people rushed to Tomlinson's aid and he saw a redness on the man's head. "I think he was still breathing and his eyes were still open."

When police medics rushed in to help Tomlinson he started slipping in and out of consciousness and his eyes were "flicking around".

"He had a grey look to him. He was a lot paler than before." Saleem said protesters had been throwing bottles at the police who rushed to help Tomlinson.

The hearing continues.

07/04/2011