- PC Simon Harwood maintains 'the use of force was necessary, proportionate and reasonable'
- His notes on the incident that led to death of Mr Tomlinson were read to the court today
By Leon Watson
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The policeman who shoved Ian Tomlinson to the ground during the G20 protests admitted he could not remember how many people he hit with his baton that day, a court heard today.
PC Simon Harwood, 45, struck the newspaper vendor with a baton and then pushed him to the floor on April 1st, 2009, causing his collapse and death just moments later, it is alleged.
Even after he watched footage of the incident Harwood maintained 'the use of force was necessary, proportionate and reasonable'.
Trial: PC Simon Harwood, pictured leaving court with his wife Helen, denies manslaughter after footage emerged of him hitting Mr Tomlinson with a baton and shoving him to the floor minutes before the newspaper vendor collapsed and died
Harwood had been tasked to stay with a riot van, but had abandoned his post roughly 20 minutes before the incident and became involved in numerous violent exchanges - leading prosecutors to allege that he was riled before he even saw Mr Tomlinson.
In his pocket book Harwood wrote that he had had to use 'reasonable force against a crowd of 200 rioting and throwing missiles at me'.
He had tried to arrest a demonstrator scrawling 'all cops are bastards' on a police van in blue marker pen, but when he did an angry crowd of 100 turned on him and, as he dragged the man up the road, he managed to wriggle out of his jacket and escape.
PC Harwood wrote that he now 'feared for my safety' and eventually managed to find some other cops and struck out 'for my own safety and protection.'
His notes, read to the court today, recorded: 'I had drawn my baton and began to strike at protesters who were running up to me and trying to kick and punch me.'
The police then tried to clear the Royal Exchange passageway where he hit Mr Tomlinson.
Harwood wrote: 'I again used reasonable force in order to clear the police lines, I do not remember how many persons I struck but had done so in order to prevent any other further rioting and in order to protect my safety.'
The court was previously shown film footage of the moment Mr Tomlinson journey that day using video from he walked past PC Simon Harwood - who is primed in a strike position behind him
Starting to fall: PC Harwood is accused of hitting Mr Tomlinson with a 'forceful baton strike' from behind
As Mr Tomlinson is helped to his feet, PC Harwood is no longer visible on the CCTV footage
He was interviewed by the IPCC, but refused to answer questions and instead gave a prepared statement.
Describing clearing the Royal Exchange Passageway, he said: 'I recall dogs biting protesters and demonstrators and there was a degree of disorder.
'I can remember people kicking out at police dogs and bottles being dropped and thrown.
Video footage later showed the street almost empty as 47-year-old Mr Tomlinson moved slowly away from the police line with his hands in his pockets.
It was originally claimed he died of a heart attack until footage shot was released of the attack by Harwood.
He asked for information on Mr Tomlinson's lifestyle and movements on that day - including an allegation that the father-of-nine had been at the protests for an hour - be investigated along with eye witnesses and CCTV before he could be 'properly and sensibly' interviewed.
In his first statement to the IPCC two weeks after the incident Harwood said he had realised he was the officer when he saw it on TV.
He said he told senior officers: 'In the context in which this engagement occurred, if it was me, the use of force was necessary, proportionate and reasonable in the prevailing circumstances.
'It is extremely difficult now to recollect this brief momentary event clearly.'
He said his memory of events had been 'hampered and distorted' by the information already in the public domain.
Harwood, of Carshalton, Surrey, denies manslaughter.
The trial continues.
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