‘He’s Scotland’s George Floyd’
As public inquiry opens into the death of Sheku Bayoh, his sister reveals how she no longer feels safe in this country
SHEKU Bayoh was described as ‘Scotland’s George Floyd’ yesterday ahead of an inquiry into his death in police custody.
The 31-year-old father of two stopped breathing after he was handcuffed by officers responding to a call in Kirkcaldy, Fife, in May 2015.
His family yesterday told the opening of the inquiry that the incident had left them feeling like they were no longer safe in Scotland.
Mr Bayoh was likened to Mr Floyd, who was murdered by a police officer in the US city of Minneapolis in May 2020.
Speaking at the start of the inquiry, Mr Bayoh’s sister, Kadi Johnson, said: ‘I don’t feel safe any more here in Scotland. I feel nervous and worried for my children. I fear for the safety of my nieces and nephews. Why should I have to feel this way?’
Her comments came after claims that police, the police watchdog and the Crown Office operated an ‘unholy trinity of dishonesty, racism and incompetence’.
Solicitor Aamer Anwar, representing Mr Bayoh’s family, challenged the officers involved to give a full testimony before the inquiry began.
The public inquiry, chaired by Lord Bracadale, is set to examine the circumstances leading up to the incident, and the subsequent management process and investigation into the death.
It will also look to establish the role Mr Bayoh’s race may have played in his death.
Mr Anwar said the inquiry would have never happened had it had not been for the ‘courage and perseverance of Sheku’s loved ones who have refused to walk away, be silenced, bullied or patronised’.
He said: ‘Over the years, it has become clear to the family that the police, Pirc (the Police Investigations and Review Commissioner) and Crown Office have operated an unholy trinity of dishonesty, racism and incompetence, betraying the word justice.
‘Kadi Johnson has no doubt that the way Sheku or her family were treated by the justice system would not have happened had Sheku been white. Their treatment was compounded by repeated attacks from those who remain in a child-like denial about the existence of racism in policing today.
‘Kadi has described Sheku as Scotland’s George Floyd, but taking the knee and Black Lives Matter will mean nothing if Scotland fails to support justice for Sheku.’
Mr Anwar added: ‘In less than 50 seconds of the first police officers arriving, Sheku Bayoh was brought to the ground, he was handcuffed and restrained with leg and ankle cuffs, and would never get up again, losing consciousness and dying.
‘As Kadi said, when they put her brother’s lifeless body in the ambulance, he was still shackled like a slave, with over 24 separate injuries, cuts, lacerations, bruises and a broken rib.’
No charges have been brought because of Mr Bayoh’s death, but Mr Anwar said the family felt that if the police officers involved had nothing to hide, they had ‘nothing to fear from coming and giving a full and frank testimony to the inquiry’.
He said the ‘real test of this inquiry’ would be ‘whether this country acts to ensure that real change takes place in an unaccountable, all-powerful justice system’.
He added: ‘Sadly, Sheku is not by any means the first man to die in police custody but, if anything, I hope that his name does not fade from memory and that one day the name of Sheku leaves us a legacy that his children can be proud of.’
The public inquiry, which is being held at Capital House, Edinburgh, began with a minute’s silence, with Lord Bracadale saying: ‘The focus of today is on Sheku Bayoh himself and what he meant to those he left behind.’
Mr Bayoh’s three sisters, Kadijato Johnson, Adama Jalloh and Kosna Bayoh, were in attendance.
His mother, Aminata Bayoh, was also present after travelling to Scotland from Sierra Leone.
The room was packed with other relatives and friends, as well as members of Police Scotland, including Chief Constable Iain Livingstone.
Miss Bayoh said: ‘Seven years since we lost our brother, the pain is still there.
‘I miss him so much, we will carry on to make sure his legacy lives on.’
Miss Jalloh, before breaking down into tears, said: ‘Shek was a fun, loving, cheeky boy. There was no doubt he was a mummy’s boy.’
Miss Johnson then took over and read the rest of her sister’s statement which added: ‘And a thing that was unquestionable was that he loved his family.
‘Nothing mattered to Shek when he was with his two sons. They were his world. And there was never a dull moment when Shek was around.’
Earlier this year, a law chief ruled that police officers at the centre of the inquiry into Mr Bayoh’s death will not be protected from prosecution when they testify.
Solicitor General Ruth Charteris, QC, had said she could not guarantee evidence given by certain police witnesses would not be used against them in any future prosecution.
The inquiry asked the Crown Office to give undertakings to 12 named officers that it will not use any evidence they provide against them in any prosecution that might arise over the events.
But Miss Charteris said: ‘I have considered all the information available to me and I am not currently satisfied that it is in the public interest to grant the undertakings.’
Lord Bracadale also sought an undertaking from deputy chief constable Fiona Taylor that she would not seek to rely on evidence given to
the inquiry by an officer in any future disciplinary proceedings related to the Bayoh case.
She declined, saying: ‘Police officers should not and do not need to seek assurances from me in relation to giving full and frank testimony to the public inquiry. They have a duty to do so and the public expects it.’
David Kennedy, deputy general secretary of the Scottish Police Federation, said: ‘We note the Solicitor General’s position and will ensure we continue to provide professional legal advice and support to those we are representing.’
Following Miss Charteris’s ruling, Mr Bayoh’s family said the public would be ‘horrified’ if police officers relied on ‘no comment’ answers to avoid any further action. In a statement issued on their behalf by Mr Anwar, they said: ‘We always maintained that police officers should never be granted any form of immunity to give full and frank testimony. That is the very least the public expects of the police in any legal proceedings.
‘Surely if officers have nothing to hide, they have nothing to fear from giving full and frank evidence. That is the very least we, Sheku’s family, are entitled to.’