Sheku Bayoh’s family and the Scottish Police Federation have become embroiled in a furious exchange over their respective versions about what happened on the morning the Kirkcaldy man died in custody.
Claims were made at a press conference in Edinburgh today hosted by the Sheku family’s solicitor Aamer Anwar.
He said it “beggars belief” that police officers involved in the incident were yet to give statements to the Police Investigations and Review Commissioner(PIRC), which is conducting the death inquiry.
Mr Anwar said: “The family does not understand why the officers involved in engaging with Sheku Bayoh were not immediately suspended without prejudice after his death.
“It is a matter of wider public concern that officers remain at their desks or in contact with the public pending the outcome of the investigation into a death in custody.”
Within minutes of the meeting ending, Brian Docherty, chairman of the Scottish Police Federation, rushed out a statement stating the female officer involved had been in fear for her life.
That was later followed by an even more strongly-worded statement from the SPF’s legal adviserProfessor Peter Watson.See also:Family pay tribute to ‘hard working father’Mr Bayoh, 31, died in police custody after being detained following an incident in Kirkcaldy on May 3.
Today his family called for the officers involved in Mr Bayoh’s arrest to be suspended while the investigation into his death is completed.
Mr Bayoh’s partner Collette Bell said she wanted the truth to come out so she can tell his children, aged four months and three-years-old, why they have no father.
There had been rumours that the female officer had been stabbed in the incident on May 3, although the family’s lawyer Mr Anwar said that was “simply untrue”..
But the family’s press conference provoked an immediate and angry response from the SPF, the union which represents rank-and-file officers.
The statement, which at one point mis-spells Mr Bayoh’s name as Bayou, states: “The Scottish Police Federation (SPF) recognises that the family of Sheku Bayoh is mourning his death and that this is a painful process.
“The SPF does not wish to add to that pain by making unhelpful comments to the press. We are saddened that his legal representatives appear not to take the same approach.
“We are also saddened that his legal representatives are inferring police officers should not have the same legal protections as any other member of the public.
“A petite female police officer responding to a call of a man brandishing a knife was subject to a violent and unprovoked attack by a large male.
“The officer believed she was going to die as a result of this assault.”
It concludes: “I very much regret that Mr Bayoh sadly lost his own life following this incident but innuendo and speculation whilst the independent investigation is ongoing adds nothing other than to the pain and grief of the family.
“We make no apology for standing up for the rights of police officers and we continue to extend to the family and friends of Mr Bayou (sic) our sincere condolences”.
News of the SPF statement brought an angry reaction from Mr Anwar and the family.
The lawyer said Mr Bayoh’s family were upset and extremely angry at the federation’s move.
He said: “The central issue in his case is ‘how did Sheku Bayoh die in police custody?’The matter is still under investigation and the SPF, of all people, should know that.”
As the row deepened, the SPF sent out a revised statement from legal adviserProfessor Watson.’The officer believed she was about to be murdered’He said: “I am disturbed about the unhelpful and ill-informed comments being made by the family lawyer.
“Whilst it is deeply regrettable that Mr Bayoh lost his life, I would ask the media and public to remember that a petite female police officer was chased and then subjected to a violent and unprovoked attack by a very large man who punched, kicked and stamped on her.
“The officer believed she was about to be murdered and I can say that but for the intervention of the other officers that was the likely outcome.
“The family’s advisers appear to believe that the police do not have the same legal rights as other members of the public. They do, and I intend to defend these rights robustly.
“We all seek the truth and part of that truth will lie in part in the post-mortem and toxicology reports which will follow in due course. Calls for the suspension of the officers serve no purpose and do nothing but add unhelpful rhetoric in a difficult situation for all.”
The PIRC said a report on its findings will be submitted to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service in due course.
A spokeswoman said: “The PIRC is making good progress in its investigation and the public response to appeals for information has been very positive.
“The PIRC has appointed dedicated family liaison officers who keep in close contact with the family of Sheku Bayoh and their lawyer Mr Aamer Anwar.”
For more on this story, see Thursday’s Courier.