Demands for the truth behind what happened to a man who died in police custody in Fife have intensified as the first anniversary of his death approaches.
Tomorrow will be exactly 52 weeks since Kirkcaldy father-of-two Sheku Bayoh passed away, yet his family and friends have said there are still more questions than answers surrounding the circumstances of his death on May 3 last year.
The Courier revealed on Saturday that Mr Bayoh’s family have demanded a full public inquiry into the 31-year-old’s final few hours and the police’s involvement, and all parties are still awaiting the findings of a report from the Police Investigation and Review Commissioner (PIRC) on the incident.
However, the family fears it could still be months – if not years – before they finally learn what happened to their loved one.
“The past year has been so testing, difficult and heartbreaking,” said Collette Bell, Mr Bayoh’s partner.
“Losing him is hard enough without the pain of waiting for the PIRC report.
“It breaks my heart we have missed out on the future we should have had as a family.”
Mr Bayoh’s mum Aminata added that the family is losing confidence with the PIRC as the wait for a report goes on.
“What happened to my dear son was so hard to take – and we have been kept in the dark ever since,” she said.
“We will not give up until we have justice.”
Mr Bayoh died after being restrained by up to nine officers as he walked home from a friend’s house in Kirkcaldy at around 7am on May 3 2015.
It is understood that pepper spray may have been a factor in his death, along with restraining methods, while it has also been claimed that officers became temporarily incapacitated when the CS and other sprays they deployed during the incident blew back towards them.
The family’s lawyer Aamer Anwar has long called for justice for Mr Bayoh and his family, adding that any force used on the morning on question had to be “legitimate, reasonable and proportionate”.
At least two officers involved, PC Alan Paton and PC Nicole Short, have been off sick on full pay since his death a year ago, and the wife of the former told a Sunday newspaper that her family had been “through hell” during the worst year of their lives.
“We are in limbo and it’s the same for Sheku’s family,” Pamela Paton was quoted as saying.
“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.”
An interim report into the case was submitted to the Crown Office on August 7 but there is still no date for when the PIRC report will be made public.
“The Commissioner continues to act on the instructions of the Lord Advocate and a further report will be submitted in due course,” a PIRC spokesperson said.
“It would be inappropriate to go into details during a live investigation.”
An event to remember Mr Bayoh is due to be held on Sunday May 8 at Templehall Community Centre in Kirkcaldy from 2pm to 7pm.
