The Fife police chief on the day Sheku Bayoh died would have “100%” called an ambulance had he known the detainee had received a blow to the head.
Former inspector Stephen Kay told the inquiry into Mr Bayoh’s death he would consider the move to be a standard procedure following such an injury.
Mr Kay said he made his way to the scene after hearing an officer had been injured.
He said he asked for an ambulance for PC Nicole Short as he was told she was injured but did not know one was needed for anyone else, including Mr Bayoh.
PC Short claims to have been stamped on by Mr Bayoh after he chased her along Hayfield Road.
Asked by counsel to the inquiry Angela Grahame KC why he had not also called an ambulance for Mr Bayoh, Mr Kay said: “I know that she was injured and somebody had asked an ambulance.
“I obviously got one ambulance en route for the information that was gleaned to me… at that stage we knew there was one injury and there’d already been an ambulance requested.”
Asked if he would have called a second ambulance had he known Mr Bayoh had been hit across the head with a baton, he replied: “100%.
“It’s a male succumbed to a blow to the head, so he’s not any different to PC Short – if they’ve both had head blows, they both need checked over.”
He said calling an ambulance would also have been protocol had he known Mr Bayoh had had PAVA and CS spray used against him.
Post-incident management
Mr Kay said following the incident he took steps to transport officers back to Kirkcaldy police station and placed them in a “sterile” environment in the canteen.
This was done by placing a sign on the canteen door and verbally informing officers who came in from other areas to cover the shift.
He said this was to prevent cross-contamination of any evidence on officers’ uniforms, but stated he had stressed to them that this did not mean they were suspects.
Mr Bayoh died on May 3 2015 during his arrest in Kirkcaldy.
He was said by witnesses to have been carrying a knife.
Mr Kay said when he described Mr Bayoh as being “the size of a house” during a phone call with a senior officer he was quoting another officer, stating: “That’s not my terminology”.
He said he would have preferred terms such as “well-built”, or “in sports terms” he would have said Mr Bayoh was a “unit”.
Asked why he had said Mr Bayoh had run at officers with a knife, he said this is the information he would have been given.
