Supporters of Skehu Bayoh outside Capital House, Edinburgh, where evidential hearings are due to recommence for the inquiry into the death of Sheku Bayoh who died in May 2015 after he was restrained by officers responding to a call in Kirkcaldy, Fife, October 1, 2024
A PUBLIC inquiry into the allegedly racist death of a man in custody has descended into a legal row between police and the Scottish government.
Police Scotland has applied for a judicial review into the handling of the inquiry into the death of Sheku Bayoh.
The 31-year-old father of two died after he was restrained by around six police officers in Kirkcaldy, Fife, in May 2015.
The Crown Office decided not to take legal action against the police involved in the 2015 incident following an investigation.
But the Bayoh family’s lawyer has urged Scotland’s Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes to extend the terms of reference to include how the crown made its decisions.
Deputy Chief Constable Alan Speirs said the force had written to her to “outline an unfair approach in the ongoing process in relation to the proposed extension to the inquiry’s terms of reference.
“This includes a failure to share relevant material which has made it impossible for the service to properly engage with the Scottish government’s consultation.”
Stand Up To Racism Scotland convenor Talat Ahmed said: "Kate Forbes and the Scottish government should expand the scope of the public inquiry without any obstructions by Police Scotland.
"Bayoh's sister and justice campaigner Kadi Johnson's assertion that Sheku Bayoh is 'Scotland's George Floyd' has been vindicated - not just by revelations about Sheku's violent death at the hands of the police, but also because his case has become a lightning rod for the widespread racism in our institutions, from the police to the legal system. This is why we will continue to campaign in support of Sheku's family and Aamer Anwar until there is justice."
