Watchdog is given G20 brutality dossier from 400 witnesses

THE METROPOLITAN police today faced fresh accusations of brutality at the G20 protests.

Lawyers representing Climate Camp are to hand over a dossier alleging excessive force by riot officers at the demonstrations to the Independent Police Complaints Commission.

Among the complaints is one from a woman who claims police medics refused to let her out of the cordon to seek medical treatment after she collapsed.

Up to 400 witness statements complaining of police brutality were drawn up by law firm Bindmans on behalf of the organisers of the Climate Camp demonstration.

Louise Broadbent, 27, who collapsed after suffering an asthma attack during the "kettling" incidents, said she was told by officers that "they were under orders not to let anyone out under any circumstances, even for medical reasons".

She was today undergoing medical treatment for a suspected broken wrist suffered during alleged beatings at the Bishopsgate Climate Camp.

The environmental consultant from Clapham said she was attacked in two separate police charges at 7.30pm, when she was dragged out of the cordon and punched in the face, and then at 9.30pm.

Describing the second alleged assault, she said: "We were just sitting there when police lunged at us. They pulled me away and I saw several officers beating up my boyfriend. He got punched in the face and they were hitting him with their shields side-on."

Miss Broadbent claims she was then dragged outside the cordon by officers who threatened to break her wrists.

"They dragged me outside the cordon, one on each side in a wrist lock laughing and saying 'what shall we do with her now', and hurled me face-first back through the police cordon. As they did this my hands were behind my back - they held me up and literally threw me through the air."

Kate Surridge claims she was the victim of an unprovoked attack by a sergeant less than 24 hours before he smacked Nicky Fisher, 35, across the face and legs.

The 24-year-old, said: "One minute I was standing up and the next I was on the floor. I had been pushed to the ground by an officer - I had my back to him and it was totally unprovoked. He didn't try to justify it all - initially I was just confused."

Miss Surridge, a student at UCL, added: "A group of people shouted at him 'You can't do that to a woman' but he just walked off."

Her account comes as a video shows an officer allegedly pointing a 50,000-volt Taser at a group in a squat near Liverpool Street station. The protesters are already on the floor and do not appear to be posing a threat.

Lily Vassiliadis, 27, from Edinburgh, said she was sitting at Bishopsgate Climate Camp when officers charged at her.

She said: "In a few seconds I was attacked by one policeman who hit me with the baton on my hands and arms, which I raised up to protect my head.

"He was holding my head with my hands another policeman who was behind me grabbed me from my hair and started dragging me on the pavement.

"He hit me with his baton around four to five times on my back and then reversed my body to face up and hit my on my abdomen and appendix area."

Part of the Climate Camp dossier includes video footage that appears to show 24-year-old Alex Kinnane, an IT technician from London, being punched on the left temple by a riot squad officer.

The IPCC is investigating three G20 incidents: Ian Tomlinson, Nicola Fisher and a 23-year-old man who says he was assaulted at a cordon near Cornhill. A spokesman said he would not comment on police tactics.

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