The inquest jury rules Tuesday that Ian Tomlinson was unlawfully killed by police constable Simon Harwood during the G20 protests in London on April 1, 2009.

A screenshot of the Guardian webpage of Ian Tomlinson at the London G20 protests on April 1, 2009. [China.org.cn]

The British director of public prosecutions Keir Starmer said he was considering whether to prosecute Harwood for manslaughter.

Within minutes of the verdict being announced, Starmer said a "thorough review" of his earlier decision not to bring criminal prosecutions against Harwood had begun.

He said "that review will now take place and will be thorough … It will take into account all of the evidence now available, including any new evidence that emerged at the inquest, the issues left by the coroner to the jury and the conclusions they reached," according to a Guardian report.

Tomlinson, 47, a newspaper seller, had been trying to walk home from work during the G20 demonstrations near the Bank of England. He was attacked from behind by Harwood, a member of the Met's Territorial Support Group (TSG).

Jurors said Tuesday that Tomlinson died of internal bleeding in the abdomen after being struck with a baton and pushed to the ground with "excessive and unreasonable" force.

London police initially denied Tomlinson had had contact with police officers before his death. On April 4, 2009, City of London Police said a post-mortem examination found Tomlinson suffered a fatal heart attack and died of ''natural causes''.

Guardian reported Wednesday that Tomlinson's family had alleged that police covered up information about involvement in his death.

The inquest into Tomlinson's death began on March 28 this year - nearly two years after his death.

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