Met Prepares For Healing, Cleansing Whitewash

Rotten apple could face life as bailiff after non-criminal charge

The police officer who was caught on film attacking Ian Tomlinson from behind is to be subjected to a misconduct hearing.

PC Simon Harwood will be accused of "inadvertently causing or contributing to" Tomlinson's death, and thereby forcing the Metropolitan Firearms and Headbangers' Club management into a series of falsehoods the exposure of which caused undue and avoidable embarrassment.

It has even been speculated that, in a less democratically accountable society, the embarrassment caused might have led to resignations or criminal prosecutions.

The charges faced by PC Harwood will be different from the charge of manslaughter, which means inadvertently causing or contributing to the death of a human being while out of police uniform.

Although the officer had concealed his badge number, the director of public prosecutions decided that PC Harwood should not be charged with manslaughter or assault, on the grounds that a jury of ordinary people would not be able to decide that the correct pathologist's report was correct.

If found guilty of pomaceous putrefactivity, Harwood faces the penalty of being treated like a public sector employee, most likely followed by the ignominy of employment as a bailiff or by the UK Border Agency.