Ian Tomlinson's family call verdict on PC Simon Harwood a 'joke' It has been had to keep going and we took strength and support from the public. He said that the family wanted to thank Lucy Apps, the medical student who rushed in to try and save the 47-year old's life as he lay dying on the pavement in Cornhill in the City of London in April 2009. Julia Tomlinson, his widow, in floods of tears, said: "We have nothing more to say." Deborah Coles, co-director of Charity INQUEST, which has been supporting the family, said: "This verdict is a damning reflection of the systemic problems inherent in the current investigation system where deaths following police use of force are not treated as potential crimes. This failure has profound consequences on the proper functioning of the justice system in relation to such deaths. It is vital that the rule of law is upheld and applies equally to all, including police officers, and that they do not believe that they can act with impunity. For too long there has been a pattern of cases where inquest juries have found overwhelming evidence of unlawful and excessive use of force or gross neglect and yet no police officer either at an individual or senior management level has been held responsible. Deborah Glass of Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) said that despite the verdict, "significant questions" remained about Pc Harwood's actions on the day Mr Tomlinson died. She said the question of whether his actions were reasonable would be addressed at a disciplinary hearing in September which she had directed would be in public. Met's actions in re-employing him were "simply staggering," she said.