LAWYER Aamer Anwar has accused Police Scotland of closing ranks over the death in custody of Sheku Bayoh.
In a statement released to coincide with the first anniversary of the death of the Fife engineer, Anwar, who represents the Bayoh family, compared the force’s action to those of South Yorkshire Police at Hillsborough.
The lawyer also criticised the Pirc, the body responsible for investigating the police, saying they were weak and had treated the Bayoh family like “petulant children”.
He said: “As we have seen from Hillsborough it is instinctive for police officers to blame the dead rather than their own and for families to be placed on the perverse situation of relying on the police for the truth.
“Within minutes of Sheku’s death, the most powerful institution in our country closed ranks, passing blame to Sheku.”
Police responded to calls of a man acting erratically at 7.10am on this day last year. His family believe post-mortem evidence shows Bayoh died of “positional asphyxia” caused by being brought to the ground by four police officers.
The lawyer continued: “Since the very start they have been promised a Fatal Accident Inquiry which of course is mandatory and the barest minimum.
“If that is all that happens then there is a real danger that systemic failures by Pirc and Police Scotland will send out a message that if your loved one dies at the hands of the police then those responsible are unlikely to ever face criminal prosecution, misconduct, let alone a suspension.”
Assistant Chief Constable Kate Thomson said Police Scotland could not respond to Anwar’s statement while the Pirc’s investigation was ongoing.
She said: “Our thoughts remain with Sheku Bayoh’s family and friends.
“We also continue to offer support to anyone affected by this incident including the family of Sheku Bayoh, colleagues within the service and the communities we serve.
“I wish to take this opportunity to reassure the local community in Kirkcaldy and the wider public that the Police Service of Scotland, including all the officers involved, are committed to continuing to work with the Crown Office and Pirc to ensure that we fully understand the circumstances that led to the death of Sheku Bayoh.”
A spokesman for the Pirc said the matter was still being investigated: “The commissioner recognises the tragic circumstances in which Sheku Bayoh died on May 3, 2015 and her investigation is committed to getting to the truth of what happened that day.
“Since the early stages of the investigation, the Pirc has offered to provide family liaison support to Mr Bayoh’s relatives. These offers have, at the request of the family, been made through the family’s legal representative and the offer remains.
“The commissioner met with the family and their representative in September to update them on the work of the investigation and the offer was made, and accepted, for them to participate in the process of identifying further forensic pathologists to provide an opinion on how Mr Bayoh died. The enquiry remains ongoing and the Commissioner is committed to delivering a thorough, impartial and independent investigation.”
At least two officers involved, PC Alan Paton and PC Nicole Short, have been off sick on full pay for the year. PC Paton’s wife Pamela told the Sun on Sunday she could sympathise with the Bayoh family.
“We are in limbo and it’s the same for Sheku’s family,” she said
“From day one I could understand their need to know what happened. As a mother and partner I could appreciate their anguish.
“But I have no doubt the officers are innocent of any wrongdoing.”
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