Officer could face manslaughter charge over ‘no threat’ protester

Jurors delivered a damning assessment of Pc Simon Harwood’s actions, saying he “deliberately and intentionally” shoved the newspaper seller to the ground.

The Director of Public Prosecutions will launch a quick and “thorough” review of his earlier decision not to prosecute the officer as the unanimous verdict was returned.

Pc Harwood, a father of two, will also become the first officer to face a public Metropolitan Police disciplinary inquiry.

Last night, Metropolitan Police deputy assistant commissioner Rose Fitzpatrick expressed her “profound condolences”.

She added: “It is a matter of deep regret that the actions of an MPS officer have been found to have caused the death of a member of the public.”

Mr Tomlinson collapsed after internal bleeding as a result of the officer’s “excessive and unreasonable” force, the jury said.

They discredited evidence from both Pc Harwood and pathologist Dr Freddy Patel. He carried out an initial post mortem which attributed the cause of death to a heart attack.

Later, other medical experts went on to conclude that Mr Tomlinson’s death was caused by internal bleeding.

In a written statement, the jurors told the inquest: “Both the baton strike and the push were excessive and unreasonable.

“As a result, Mr Tomlinson suffered internal bleeding which led to his collapse within a few minutes and his subsequent death.

“At the time of the strike and the push, Mr Tomlinson was walking away from the police line.

“He was complying with police instructions to leave Royal Exchange Buildings, the passage.

“He posed no threat,” the jury statement added.