[guardian.co.uk] The woman who a police sergeant apparently slapped in the face and hit with a baton at the vigil of Ian Tomlinson who died in the G20 protests, has said she was "shocked" by the attack which left her covered in bruises.
The
Metropolitan police last night suspended the sergeant involved in the
incident, a member of the Territorial Support Group, who had concealed
his badge number before lashing out at the woman at a memorial protest on 2 April, the day after newspaper seller Tomlinson collapsed and died after apparently being assaulted by police. [link to video]
The woman, Nicky, who is from Brighton, said: "I’m shocked at the way the police treated me."
She also expressed thanks to Tristan Woodwards, the 25-year-old IT assistant who filmed the incident and passed his evidence to the Guardian after uploading it onto Youtube. "I just want to thank the guy who took that video," she said.
The
Independent Police Complaints Commission announced it would investigate
the alleged attack, although the woman has said she has yet to make a
formal complaint.
However, after returning from the vigil
at the Bank of England, her family took photographs of her injuries and
she is believed to have a medical report.
The footage and
series of photographs appear to show the sergeant hitting Nicky across
the face with the back of his hand, and saying: "Go away."
Nicky,
clutching a carton of orange juice and digital camera, remonstrates
with the officer and can be heard swearing. The sergeant is then seen
drawing a baton from his pocket and striking her on her legs.
The footage is not clear, but Nicky appears to fall to the ground. The crowd erupts angrily with chants of "shame on you".
Her
sister, Natalie Thomson, said: "We’ve been watching the news and it has
turned into such a big story now. I was shocked when all the bruising
came up. She was struck at least twice with his baton. She went there
as a peaceful protester. She has no criminal record and she has been
assaulted."
Source: www.guardian.co.uk
