Are Ian Tomlinson's Family Just After Money?

[Kerosene]

http://www.morningsta...tent/view/full/124018

Despite the cynical tone of my question, it does bear some consideration given the fact that by all accounts the tragic Mr Tomlinson not only lived by himself but was not in touch with any family members prior to his death.

Since when of course quite a few of his estranged family members suddenly materialised demanding justice for Mr Tomlinson. We've now had loads of public money spent trying to get to the bottom of this tragic incident, including 3 post mortems, an Independent Police Complaint Commission enquiry culminating in a Crown Court trial of now ex PC Simon Harwood (acquitted of manslaughter), and of course yesterday's dismissal of him by the Met Police.

Mr Tomlinson's relatives are still dissatisfied and have referred to the process as 'a whitewash', 'diabolical', 'showboating', and 'no justice'.
And of course the ubiquitous solicitors, the only real winners in all of this, are still stoking the fires, declaring that the family had been 'cheated of an opportunity', and 'the family want a judgement in the civil court".

Hasn't enough of the public purse been used already? Sounds to me like the just want money. Anyone care to dispute that?

[Zeuhl]

<as soon as theres a sniff of compen, estranged family members suddenly 'care' about the deceased>

if that is a view that brings the family into disrepute ..

I'm sure that would suit those who would rather the whole problem just went away regardless of the pursuit of justice

[sp1814]

AOG

NO - I mean...how is political correctness involved in this story? You brought it up almost like a convenient buzzword...but just left it hanging.

Also, can you tell me how the Tomlinson family dynamic worked? Which members of the family weren't speaking to him? Did he ever see his niece for a drink? Was he cut off completely? Are you getting this first hand, or via the newspapers?

Who do you think fed the newspapers information about the Tomlinson family? Do you think it MAY have come from the police?

[NOX]

I'm really misliking this notion that a homeless newspaper vendor's life isn't worth the same as a 'decent tax payer's'. It should matter nothing who someone is or what their social station is, if someone is wrongfully killed then there ought to be both social and financial redress for their death to their family. The fact that his family was estranged doesn't matter, I am close to most of my children but have little contact with one of them, however if that child was killed then I would fight tooth and nail for justice for him despite our lack of contact and if anyone thinks that the notion of compensation is new in the event of a death ought to google the word 'weirgeld' to see just how old it really is in the British Isles.

[sp1814]

Spot on NOX!!!

Estranged doesn't necessarily mean 'unloved'. I know this might sound like a strange comparison, but if you and your partner split up because you'd grown apart and then a year later, you found he or she had terminal cancer, even though you may be out of each other's lives your feelings for them would still want to visit them...

[anotheoldgit]

triggerhippy

Do you hate me that much, just take a look at your contributions, is this all you are intelligent enough to come up with?

You not only repeat yourself, seeing that you repeated the same point in the first three answers, but you annoyingly over use the lol abbreviation.

/// lol, so AOG, not being able to push over defenseless old men is political correctness now? - ok. ///

/// he means the political correctness that stops police offers violently shoving who the hell they like when they like. ///

/// For Funks Sake people, AOG is on about the political correctness that prevents the police going about beating innocent people to the floor when they feel like it. ///

/// lol, as if AOG would turn down any cash offered to him. ///

[Zeuhl]

Old Git

Perhaps it would be better if you engaged brain and tried to answer trig's point

then he wouldn't need to keep repeating it

whingeing about people 'hating' you just makes you seem self absorbed and unable to distinguish between responding to what is posted and attacking the poster

[anotheoldgit]

sp1814

/// Who do you think fed the newspapers information about the Tomlinson family? Do you think it MAY have come from the
police? ///

Oh come on sp you are now scraping the barrel, 'the newspapers are telling lies' the police are telling lies' blimey who are we to believe? Might as well not believe anything we are told.

Wait a minute though, perhaps all this is a set-up by the 'Socialist Worker' they were in attendance I saw them on the TV.

But wait a another minute, that could have been members of the EDL waving Socialist Worker's placards.

Am I on AnswerBank or am I on Twitter, oh I don't know, what can anyone be sure of these days?

[tonywiltshire]

The thing I found shocking in the video of PC Harwood striking and pushing Mr Tomlinson was the reaction of the other police officers present, none of whom appeared to help Mr Tomlinson and none appeared to admonish PC Harwood for his actions.

[Sqad]

tony...I know it is only a matter of opinion, but i felt that the incident was so trivial, that it needed no response from the other officers who clearly had their hands full at the time.

As sp said in another thread, he had seen far more vicious incidents in bar brawls.

[Zeuhl]

'the newspapers are telling lies'
'the police are telling lies'

<scraping the barrel>

Really?

That's a bizarre claim less than a week since the evidence from the Hillsborough Enquiry was published

[Kerosene]

Thank God that certain posters on here wouldn't have had to deliver the death messages to the loved ones of those two young Policewomen so brutally murdered today in Manchester after some of the comments I've read?

No one claims the Police are whiter than white, but according to some on here they are the Devil incarnate. Shame on you.

I'd think even the tragic Mr Tomlinson would be spinning in his grave at your cold and callous remarks?

[Zeuhl]

<<Thank God that certain posters on here wouldn't have had to deliver the death messages to the loved ones of those two young Policewomen so brutally murdered today in Manchester after some of the comments I've read? >>

Which ones kero? Can you identify the offending posts?

I can't see any comments that suggest callousness that would exclude any ABers from such a duty as the one you describe. On the contrary, concerns over (for example) someone like Mr Tomlinson expressed here suggest the opposite.

[sp1814]

AOG

Please tell me where you got your information about the Tomlinson family. You seem to be quite sure on their internal relationships.

Why is this?

[sp1814]

AOG

Let's try one more time...how does political correctness affect this story?

I am really curious to see how your thought processes work on this.

If Tomlinson had been black, gay or Asian, I could understand your claim.

[sp1814]

Kerosene

Please help me understand YOUR thought process too...do you think that criticism of the police in this instance means we are unable tonsympathise with those in a completely different situation?

Kinda like having a binary outlook on life?

[Kerosene]

sp,

Have I sympathised with ex PC Harwood? No. Nor could I, but I have difficulty having too much sympathy with his estranged relatives who apparently had had nothing to do with him for many years prior to his death.

I see you've been asking for links to my last remark? I don't think there are any, unless you're able to somehow dig back prior to the incident which happened about three and a half years ago.

I remember hearing / seeing reports to the effect that Mr Tomlinson was allegedly almost itinerant - for want of a better word - who lived alone in a bedsit and had been estranged from any other family members for some years. Clearly I cannot prove that but is to the best of my recollection what I understand was the situation.