Medic: Cuffs could have hindered Sheku CPR
A&E doctor’s evidence to inquiry
A MEDIC who treated Sheku Bayoh in hospital after his arrest has said the fact he was in handcuffs may have hindered earlier attempts to perform CPR on him.
Dr Gillian Pickering was in charge of the A&E team which tried to resuscitate Sheku, 31, at Victoria Hospital in Fife on the morning of May 3, 2015.
She said the fact he was wearing handcuffs may have affected the outcome.
Sheku had been arrested that morning on nearby Hayfield Road in Kirkcaldy by police officers, who were responding to reports of him in the street with a knife.
An inquiry into the circumstances of his death, and whether race was a factor, is taking place in Edinburgh.
Dr Pickering was questioned by the inquiry’s junior counsel, Laura Thomson, yesterday.
Describing what she saw when Sheky arrived at the hospital, the emergency medicine consultant said: “I remember him being a very big man, he had his hands in front of him on his chest, cuffed.”
The inquiry was shown a patient note Dr Pickering had made. It said the patient had been “found by police with knife, aggressive, attacked police officer”.
It said pepper gas had been used and he had been “hit on back of head. Then was in respiratory arrest”.
Dr Pickering said Sheku went into cardiac arrest within a few minutes, as well as being in respiratory arrest. She told the inquiry she asked the police with him to remove his handcuffs.
The consultant was asked if she could comment on whether there would have been any difference to the outcome of the CPR performed by police and paramedics if the handcuffs had been removed.
She said: “It could have, the gentleman was a big guy and his arms were big and they were across his chest. To do good, effective CPR, you need to be able to get good access to the chest.”
Claire Mitchell QC, representing the Bayoh family, said the inquiry may hear later that paramedics could not apply an IV line because Bayoh was in cuffs.
Earlier, an officer told the inquiry he struck Sheku in the head with his baton after he saw him punch a female officer in the back of the head. The inquiry, before Lord Bracadale, continues.