Families bid to meet Nicola Sturgeon over deaths in custody

Allan Marshall and Sheku Bayoh both died in custody in 2015

Families of two men who died in custody in Scotland have held a vigil at Nicola Sturgeon's residence - in a bid for a meeting with the first minister.

Relatives of Sheku Bayou and Allan Marshall say no-one has been held responsible for their deaths in 2015.

Mr Marshall's family also requested a new Crown Office review of his case. He died after a struggle with prison staff at HMP Edinburgh.

Mr Bayoh died after he was restrained by nine police officers in Kirkcaldy.

Both families came to Bute House in Edinburgh to hand in a letter calling for a meeting with the first minister.

Mr Marshall, 30 , suffered a cardiac arrest during an incident while he was on remand at HMP Edinburgh in March 2015. A Fatal Accident Inquiry ruled that his death was "entirely preventable".

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Sharon Macfadyen, Mr Marshall's aunt, said: "We have asked the Lord Advocate to review Allan's case and we are confident of a positive outcome.

"We have always felt it is obvious to anyone who has seen the CCTV of the restraint what happened to Allan and why he died, so we are looking forward to hearing what the Crown has concluded after finally looking properly into all the evidence.

"Today is about standing with other families and saying no more. No other family should go through what we've been through for the last seven years."

Allan Marshall's aunt Sharon McFadyen and Sheku Bayoh's sister Kosna Bayoh deliver the letter to Nicola Sturgeon

Mr Marshall had been at HMP Edinburgh for almost a month following an incident outside a nightclub.

CCTV video showed him being pinned down by prison staff. The Scottish Prison Service failed in a legal bid to prevent this footage being made public.

In September 2019 Scotland's then Justice Secretary, Humza Yousaf, offered an apology to the family.

Mr Bayoh, 31, died after being restrained by officers in May 2015. Police were called after he was seen behaving erratically with a knife in a Kirkcaldy street.

He was restrained for five minutes before falling unconscious and was pronounced dead in hospital a short time later. His family has said they believe race played a part in his death.

Mr Bayoh's death is currently subject to an ongoing public inquiry with evidence hearings set to resume on 22 November.

The vigil at Bute House was organised by the United Families and Friends Campaign

Ade Johnson, Mr Bayoh's brother-in-law, said: "Let us not forget who the real victims are in this process for justice. They are the families that have lost their loved ones."

The vigil saw the families hand in a letter asking for a meeting with Ms Sturgeon and Justice Secretary Keith Brown to discuss concerns about the justice system and the handling of both men's cases.

The vigil coincided with remembrance events in London, and was organised by the United Families and Friends Campaign (UFFC), a UK-wide coalition of families affected by deaths in custody.

Ken Fero, of UFFC, said: "This initiative highlights how Scottish families that have been impacted by state violence are coming together to demand justice and justice is not limited to the confines of the courts."

A Scottish government spokesperson, said: "Our thoughts are with the families of Allan Marshall and Sheku Bayoh.

"The Scottish government awaits the outcome of the public inquiry into Mr Bayoh's death and will carefully consider the families' request for a meeting."