G20 family fury over autopsy’s ‘secret’ findings

The family of Ian Tomlinson, the news vendor who died during last year's G20 protests in the City, today issued a fresh call for the "truth" amid a row over undisclosed post-mortem results.

Mr Tomlinson's widow, Julia, said: "We just want to get to the truth. We don't want any more delays."

She spoke out after it emerged that findings of an examination carried out by a pathologist on behalf of the Metropolitan Police officer who allegedly assaulted her husband have never been released to the authorities.

Lawyers for PC Simon Harwood, who was filmed apparently striking Mr Tomlinson at the protests last April, cited legal privilege in withholding the findings. But coroner Paul Matthews, who is in charge of the inquest into the 47-year-old's death, said he has "doubts" about the report being withheld and intends to pursue the matter.

There were three post-mortem examinations, the last held jointly between a pathologist commissioned by the Met and one instructed by PC's Harwood's solicitors. Those findings have been kept from the Crown Prosecution Service and the Independent Police Complaints Commission as well as the coroner. The IPCC confirmed it had not had access to the report. The CPS said it was "not entitled to see it".

Mr Tomlinson died after being pushed and falling to the ground. No criminal proceedings were brought because experts could not agree on how he had died. In July, Director of Public Prosecutions Keir Starmer said there was a "sharp disagreement between medical experts" on the cause of death.

Pathologist Freddy Patel, who has since been suspended from the medical register over three other cases, concluded that Mr Tomlinson died of natural causes. But two other experts, instructed by the family, the Met and the IPCC, said he died from internal bleeding after falling to the ground.