Bayoh inquiry told of nurse’ s car encounter

Anurse who tried to resuscitate Sheku Bayoh in a Kirkcaldy hospital has told how he tried to get into her car as she went to work that morning.

Linda Limbert said she recognised the 31-year-old as he was rushed into A&E at Victoria Hospital.

Prior to his arrival, Mr Bayoh had been tackled by police officers using incapacitating sprays and a baton, before being restrained on the ground.

Ms Limbert told how half an hour earlier he had left her terrified as he approached her vehicle on Hayfield Road.

She told the public inquiry: “He was crossing Hayfield Road. He was on the road, which prevented me from turning left to drive along.

“I stopped my car, more or less on the roundabout.

“(He had) what I thought was a knife in his hand and he started to approach my car. From what I remember, I think (it was in) his right hand.

“He was almost approaching my car and touching the door handle.

“He never got to the door because I took off – I drove over the mini-roundabout. “(I was) very frightened. “It was just like he was charging at my car with his arms flailing about.”

Ms Limbert called 999 before continuing to her work. Shortly after she started her shift an unconscious Mr Bayoh was brought in by paramedics at 7.45am.

Ms Limbert said that when he was brought into the hospital’s resuscitation unit, Mr Bayoh was wearing handcuffs, which were removed within “seconds”.

She said: “I don’t know him but I recognised him as the guy that I had just seen in the street.

“He was unresponsive and had ongoing CPR from ambulance and police at the scene.”

The hearing also referenced Ms Limbert’s statement to the PIRC (Police Investigations and Review Commissioner), which said medics had difficulty fitting a “Thumper” machine – a device for giving hands-free CPR – around Mr Bayoh’s chest.

The statement read: “On the first occasion the Thumper was too low on his chest, on the second occasion the clips weren’t successfully applied so rather than waste time manual CPR would continue.”

The hearing was told the resuscitation attempts could have left injuries, such as broken ribs, on Mr Bayoh’s body.

The inquiry also heard that in the 75 seconds from the first officers arriving on the scene to Mr Bayoh being restrained on the ground officers used three rounds of CS and PAVA spray, batoned Mr Bayoh to the head and body and shoulder-charged him.

The inquiry continues.

EVIDENCE: Linda Limbert told the inquiry Sheku Bayoh’s arms were “flailing about”.