Family of Sheku Bayoh set to launch civil action against Police Scotland

THE family of Sheku Bayoh are to launch a civil action against Police Scotland.

The father-of-two died while in police custody in Kirkcaldy in May 2015 after he was restrained by nine officers.

Sheku’s loved ones believe the 31-year-old was killed by positional asphyxiation caused by the officers’ actions and have been campaigning for answers ever since.

The family’s lawyer, Aamer Anwar, confirmed: “We are intending to launch a civil action against Police Scotland for what happened to Sheku that day.

“That will mean we can ask how it came to be that he was handcuffed, ankle-cuffed, had leg restraints on and was face down on the floor.

“Was excessive violence used? Why did police officers feel the need for the treatment that day, and did it result in death?

“Those are all areas that will arise in a potential civil action and we have a very experienced senior counsel working on it.”

The revelation comes in a documentary, After Sheku, to be shown on BBC2 Scotland at 9pm on Tuesday.

It follows Sheku’s loved ones over the course of 20 months and lays bare the strain and heartache his death and the subsequent investigation have caused them.

Sheku’s sister, Kadi Johnson, is pleased by the latest development.

She said: “We want justice to be done, we want to know the truth and we want to know what happened to our brother.”

Sheku had been at a friend’s house in the hours before his death but he hadn’t been himself. He left and then fought with a friend, before returning to his own house.

Police were later called when he was seen in the street acting erratically and he died soon after being restrained.

His family believe officers used undue force and the Police Investigations and Review Commissioner launched an inquiry.

Toxicology reports showed Sheku had ecstasy and APVP, a psychostimulant, in his system when he died.

Collette Bell, Sheku’s partner and mother to his youngest son, Isaac, who was just three months old when his dad died, said: “He was a kind, caring gentlemen who would do anything for anyone. He called me his princess and he treated me like one.”

His brother-in-law, Ade Johnson, added: “If Shek hadn’t met the police or come into contact with them that day, would he be alive or dead? I believe he would be alive.”

Police Scotland provided a statement for the documentary, which states: “We cannot comment on the events of May 3, 2015, while the Crown Office evaluates the independent findings submitted by the PIRC.”