Inquiry into the death of Sheku Bayoh

 The remit of the independent public inquiry into the death of Sheku Bayoh has been announced.

Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf has said that the statutory public inquiry will examine the circumstances leading up to the death of Mr Bayoh, the post incident management process and subsequent investigation into his death. The inquiry will also establish the extent to which Mr Bayoh’s actual or perceived race played a part in events, if any.

In addition, the inquiry will make recommendations to prevent deaths in similar circumstances.

Mr Yousaf said: “When I announced in November that a public inquiry was to be held, I said then that it is imperative that the circumstances leading up to Mr Bayoh’s death and the events that followed are examined in full and in public. I am pleased that today brings us a further step closer to that.

“I met with key parties, including the family of Mr Bayoh, to discuss the approach to the terms of reference. While they do not feature all of the issues raised with me during my discussion, the terms of reference do focus on the incident and are sufficiently broad enough to allow the chair to look at wider issues he may consider relevant to the inquiry.”

Chair of the inquiry Lord Bracadale said: “I welcome the announcement of the terms of reference of the public inquiry. I believe that they will enable my inquiry to conduct a thorough examination of the circumstances surrounding the death of Mr Bayoh and the wider issues arising. I understand the impact which the Covid-19 pandemic has inevitably had on preparation for the inquiry and look forward to being able to make progress in due course.”

Background:

Link to published GIQ

The COVID-19 pandemic, including lockdown restrictions, has had an impact on the ability to take forward aspects of work for the public inquiry as resources have had to be focused on essential coronavirus priorities. Progress in certain areas, such as work to identify premises, will be affected by the current restrictions; the Scottish Government will continue engage on these matters with Lord Bracadale and the Justice Secretary will provide further updates in due course, including the appointment of assessors and confirmation of the setting up date.

 Ahead of the announcement the Cab sec met to discuss the terms of reference with the Bayoh family, Police Scotland, Scottish Police   Federation  (SPF), Scottish Police Authority (SPA), Police Investigations and Review Commissioner (PIRC), Association of Scottish Police Superintendents  (ASPS), Scottish Chief Police Officers' Staff Association (SCPOSA), Dame Elish Angiolini, the Lord Advocate, Solicitor General and Lord Bracadale.