Police claim Ian Tomlinson could have been attacked by fake G20 cop

The family of Ian Tomlinson were told by a senior investigator he may have been assaulted by a police impersonator shortly before he collapsed and died, it was revealed today.

The suggestion by the City of London Police was made after video evidence showed the newspaper vendor being attacked with a baton and pushed to the ground by an officer in riot gear.

According to an officer investigating the 47-year-old's death he could have clashed with a protester "dressed in police uniform" before he collapsed at the G20 demonstrations on 1 April.

The conversation took place at an emergency meeting with Mr Tomlinson's family and the Independent Police Complaints Commission on 8 April, hours after the footage was released.

A source present at the meeting said the senior investigator's comment was made after he was pressed on how the identity of the officer could be established from the video.

The claim is contained in a report by campaign group Inquest, whose researchers have interviewed Mr Tomlinson's widow Julia.

The group, which assists the families of people who die in police custody, said the suggestion of an attack by an imposter gave the impression that the investigation was biased. According to Inquest, the City of London police "completely failed to persuade the Tomlinson family of its impartiality".

Mrs Tomlinson would not discuss the report today, but accused the police of causing her husband's death.

She told the Standard at her home on the Isle of Dogs: "My daughters have lost their dad. My husband's ashes are in that living room. He wouldn't be there if it wasn't for the police.

"Ian didn't die of a heart attack, the police killed him."

The Inquest report reveals that Mr Tomlinson's family were not able to see his body until six days after his death. Police instead used fingerprints to identify him. The report also says a post-mortem examination found that Mr Tomlinson had a wound on his right leg that could have been caused by a bite from a police dog.

The IPCC is also accused of an "obvious error of judgment" by failing to launch an independent inquiry immediately. The report's authors said forensic evidence may have been lost as a result and claimed IPCC officials failed to treat police accounts with a "healthy degree of scepticism".

The IPCC was blocked from attending the first post mortem by the coroner and the Tomlinson family were not told they could attend. The report also raises concerns that police delayed an ambulance from reaching Mr Tomlinson as he lay dying in Cornhill.

Deborah Coles, co-director of Inquest, said there were similarities with the death of anti-fascist activist Blair Peach, a teacher who died on a demonstration in London in 1979. There have been repeated claims that Mr Peach was killed by police officers who struck him over the head. A secret report into the death of Mr Peach is due to be published by the end of the year.

Mrs Coles said of the Tomlinsons: "There is a deep frustration this family feel, which is common with other families where they were given misinformation, with the initial police investigation." The City of London Police and the Met Police were unable to comment on the claims. An IPCC spokeswoman said it could not discuss an ongoing investigation.