Scotland: Black bodybuilder died in custody after he was restrained by nine officers

Another sad result of a black  refusing to co-operate with the police, it seems.  Once that is in train more and more force will be used.  And judging just how much force to apply and when to ease up on it can never be easy.  Body builders often have dicky hearts so asphyxiation followed by heart failure would be my guess as to the cause of death.  The cops will be exonerated

Police have vowed to learn ‘any and every lesson’ from the investigation into the death of a father-of-two who died in custody in May this year.

Sheku Bayoh, 31, was detained by police after being accused of carrying a knife but lost consciousness while being restrained by nine officers, in Kirkcaldy, Fife, on May 3.

Police Scotland Chief Constable Sir Stephen House has sworn that the force is committed to finding out exactly how Mr Bayoh died.

An investigation into his death is being conducted by the Police Investigations and Review Commissioner (Pirc), which is consulting medical experts to ascertain the cause of death.

An earlier post-mortem examination proved inconclusive.

Sir House, who will step down in December, also met with Mr Bayoh’s family in a face-to-face discussion that they described as ‘robust and honest’.

The chief constable said it was only now appropriate for him to meet with Mr Bayoh’s relatives and express his condolences personally, as Pirc has submitted an initial report to the Crown Office.

‘While the investigation remains ongoing, this places legal limits on what I can discuss,’ he said, after the meeting at the Scottish Police College.

‘However, I was able to reaffirm our absolute commitment to establishing a full and clear understanding of the events of May 3 and to learn any and every lesson from the findings of the ongoing investigation.’

Relatives including Mr Bayoh’s partner Collette Bell and his sister Kadijartu Johnson have previously met with the Lord Advocate and Pirc head Kate Frame as they seek answers over the trainee gas engineer’s death.

Family solicitor Aamer Anwar said: ‘The family appreciated the compassion that the chief constable showed them as well as the personal regret he expressed for their ordeal.

‘The Bayoh family understand the frustrations of the chief constable not being able to speak publicly because of an ongoing Pirc investigation.

‘The chief constable has assured the family that he would expect Police Scotland to learn any lessons following the completion of the investigation and all legal proceedings. ‘Today is an important step forward for the Bayoh family.’

Mr Anwar added that it was crucial for Police Scotland to keep the promises made by Sir Stephen.

He said: ‘They hope that Police Scotland and any successor to Stephen House will take heed of the lessons that need to be learned so that no other family is put through the ordeal that the Bayohs have had to endure.’

Original report here


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