Family calls for justice over death of father after long wait for decision

The widow and son of Ian Tomlinson joined a crowd of about 50 supporters in central London, where a minute's silence was held.

Mr Tomlinson, a 47-year-old newspaper seller, was walking home from work through the protests in the City of London on April 1 last year when he was struck with a baton and pushed to the ground during the clashes with police.

Politicians, campaigners, lawyers and academics have sent a letter to the Director of Public Prosecutions criticising the "intolerable" delays surrounding the investigation into the death.

Mr Tomlinson's widow Julia Tomlinson said: "We want justice. It's been a very difficult year. We want to move on. Until this is all sorted out, our lives are on hold."

She said the investigation into the death was taking "far too long" and she blamed the Crown Prosecution Service for the delays.

His son Paul King said: "It's been a year and we are still in the same place. There's still nothing been done. We just want justice, really. We just want to get our life back. It's been a long wait.

"It's been a long year but when you look back, it doesn't seem like a year ago my dad went.

"It's really frustrating. It's not as if we can pick up the phone to the CPS and say 'What's happening?'.

"I wish that they would work a bit faster so we can move on with our lives and start to rebuild it again."

Asked about the possibility that somebody could face prosecution over his father's death, he said: "We want the right decision, of course. We just want justice. I hope we aren't here this time next year without a verdict."

The family were speaking close to Cornhill near the Bank of England in the City of London where police closed the road for a short period for the vigil to take place.

The campaigners, some waving banners, maintained a polite silence before a lone cry of "No justice, no peace" at the end of the minute.

The Rev Phil Summers, from the Methodist Church in Tower Hamlets, said a short prayer in which he said "a year is a long time" and added that it had been "a year of waiting, a year of missing, a year of longing".

The letter, sent to DPP Keir Starmer, claims the delays in the investigation call the credibility of the CPS into question. The alleged attack was caught on camera by a visitor to London.

His family is awaiting a response from the CPS about whether it proposes to charge anyone in respect of his death.

The letter, signed by Liberty and Labour MP John McDonnell among others, reads: "Ian's grieving family has been left in limbo for a year waiting for a full explanation about the circumstances of Ian's death.

"There is now very real concern as to whether the Crown Prosecution Service proposes to charge anyone in respect of the assault and death of Ian Tomlinson."