G20 protester looked ‘wasted’ before fatal push

IAN TOMLINSON looked “out of it” and “wasted” minutes before he was shoved to the ground by a police officer at the G20 protests, an inquest heard.

The 47-year-old newspaper seller appeared calm but in his own world as a police van sounded its horn at him to get out of the way, witnesses said.

James Stone, a director of investment in the city, was about to visit his gym as he spotted Mr Tomlinson in front of a row of police officers.

“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’.

“He was looking back towards the police and bank. I remember that Mr Tomlinson had his arms to his side with a very out-of-it expression on his face.”

Mr Stone did not see Mr Tomlinson being pushed to the ground about 10 to 15 minutes later by PC Simon Harwood.

Family members were again in attendance as evidence was heard from eyewitnesses who saw Mr Tomlinson before he died.

CCTV recordings showed Mr Tomlinson cutting a lonely figure as he staggered away from a police cordon after being hit with a baton on the fringes of the anti-summit demonstration in London in 2009.

He then staggered about 100 metres and collapsed flat out in Cornhill, near St Michael’s Alley.

The inquest continues.