In 2009, a UK police officer beat newspaper-seller Ian Tomlinson from behind during a protest. Tomlinson, whose hands were in his pockets and who posed no threat to police, died shortly afterwards, his insides pulped by the blow. Now, PC Simon Harwood, who struck the fatal blow, will face trial for Tomlinson's manslaughter.
It's a victory for justice and accountability. The police have fought tooth and nail to cover up and minimise Harwood's crime, withholding evidence from the IPCC, and lying to pathologists and the media about what had occurred. That cover up has now failed. The question now is whether a jury will convict, or whether they'll look the other way on a killing simply because the killer wore a uniform.
