Jury sworn in for inquest into death of Ian Tomlinson at G20 protests

A jury has been sworn in at the inquest into the death of Ian Tomlinson, the newspaper seller who collapsed at the G20 protests in London.

The 11 jurors were told they will visit the scene of the 47-year-old's death on Tuesday as six weeks of evidence begins.

Mr Tomlinson's collapse on the pavement on the fringes of angry protests in London in April 2009 became global news after video footage challenged the original official version of events.

Pathologist Dr Freddy Patel found he died of natural causes but an amateur video later showed Mr Tomlinson being pushed to the ground by a police officer.

He died after staggering about 100 yards and falling to the ground in Cornhill, near St Michael's Alley.

Pc Simon Harwood, a member of the Met's territorial support group, escaped prosecution but faces being sacked under misconduct proceedings.

The inquest is examining the actions of police, the pathologist, the coroner and independent investigators in the aftermath of Mr Tomlinson's death.

Judge Peter Thornton QC, sitting as assistant deputy coroner, told the jury of four women and seven men to ignore widespread reporting about the incident.

Matthew Ryder QC, representing Mr Tomlinson's family, has previously said the hearing would require "fairness and fearlessness". Mr Tomlinson's family has accused the authorities of a cover-up and supported moves to bring in a senior judge to oversee the inquest.

Mr Thornton is an expert on public order law who has overseen several high-profile trials and was appointed assistant deputy coroner for the case in November. After being sworn in on Monday afternoon, the jury was sent home early for evidence to begin at the International Dispute Resolution Centre in Fleet Street, London, on Tuesday.