A documentary series following lawyer Aamer Anwar has provided unprecedented access to the firm behind the public inquiry into the death of Sheku Bayoh in Kirkcaldy.
The BBC series also features the family of Joseph Sneddon, a dad from Ballingry who died after being restrained at the town’s Victoria Hospital in 2022.
He had been admitted due to mental health issues and the family were told in February that he had been restrained by six police officers and two hospital security guards over a period of two-and-a-half to three hours.
The Firm gives behind-the-scenes access to Anwar’s office as he embarks on the public inquiry into the death of Sheku Bayoh in 2015.
The 31-year-old dad-of-two, originally from Sierra Leone, died in police custody as officers restrained him on Hayfield Road after reports he was in public with a knife.
Sheku Bayoh case has ‘literally consumed’ lawyer
In the documentary’s first episode Anwar introduces the case as something he has worked on “seven days a week”.
An independent public inquiry has been examining the events surrounding the death of Sheku Bayoh, the subsequent investigation and whether race was a factor.
Mr Bayoh’s sister, Kadi Johnson, reveals in the series she had previously asked her lawyer to “call it a day” on the case.
She says on camera: “I said to Aamer, ‘I’ve had enough, lets call it a day.’
“I wanted to give up because it was so stressful, it was too much.
“He said ‘no, we are going to push on, we are going to carry on.'”
Anwar adds: “I got them in and I said, I’ll do this case for free.
“We all work together day and night to fight for this family – that’s why I became a lawyer.”
Joseph Sneddon’s family left ‘horrified’
The second episode sees Anwar take on the case of Joseph Sneddon, a dad-of-two from Ballingry who died after being restrained at Kirkcaldy’s Victoria Hospital.
He says: “He was well-liked and loved within the community and he was a father to two young boys who were his life.
“They [Joseph’s family] don’t know what’s going on and they’re shocked, they’re horrified, they’re not given any details.”
The show sees Anwar’s first meeting with the Sneddon family, who tell him they “don’t have any answers” to Joseph’s death.
In an interview his sister says: “It is hard enough when you lose your wee brother but when you don’t know why then all you can imagine is the worst and I think for my mum and dad that was the hardest thing.”
Following a meeting with the Lord Advocate in February, where the family found that Joseph had been restrained for up to three hours, the sister recalls: “We were round a big conference table and the Lord Advocate came in and some details started to come out.
“It was quite hard to hear and we were hearing it all for the first time.
“The first time we met Aamer he said prepare for a fight but be ready for a battle.”
Series goes behind-the-scenes on public inquiry
The Firm has eight episodes and is available to watch in full on BBC iPlayer.
It follows Anwar in some of his most high-profile cases and as he prepares for the Scottish Covid Inquiry.
The Courier has previously covered the Sheku Bayoh inquiry including his sister Kadi’s account of the night.
NHS Fife says it does not accept the accuracy of some of the claims put to them by the STV production team behind the series.
A spokesperson said: “NHS Fife would like to further extend our most sincere condolences to the family of Mr Sneddon on the loss of their loved one.
“While NHS Fife do not accept the accuracy of some of the claims put to us by STV Media, as this case is currently subject to ongoing potential legal proceedings, we consider that it would not be appropriate to comment further on the matter at this time.”
