Sheku Bayoh family given role in death inquiry

The family of a man who died in police custody in Fife are to be given a say in how the investigation proceeds.

Sheku Bayoh, 31, died after being detained following an incident in Kirkcaldy on 3 May.

His relatives had previously questioned the independence of the Police Investigations and Review Commissioner (Pirc) probe into what happened.

They will now be allowed to help select additional experts to aid the investigation.

It follows a meeting between commissioner Kate Frame and Mr Bayoh's family in Hamilton.

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A post-mortem examination of Mr Bayoh's body proved inconclusive and forensic pathology experts have been sought from outside Scotland to help establish the cause of death.

Pirc said it has been carrying out extensive inquiries into the death and is determined to get to the bottom of what happened.

A spokesman said: "The commissioner today invited the family to participate in the process of identifying additional experts.

"Once all expert reports are completed they will be passed to the Lord Advocate for his consideration.

"The commissioner reassured the family that she and her team of investigators are objectively exploring all lines of inquiry and has encouraged the family to contribute to that process."

'Broken promises'

A statement released by the family's solicitor, Aamer Anwar, following the meeting said their confidence in Pirc had been "shattered" in recent weeks, and called for the commissioner to "deliver results rather than more broken promises".

It added: "Despite an expanded remit, over 17 weeks the Pirc gave an impression of uncertainty about precisely what was being investigated, for what purpose and by what means.

"Today, the family raised questions about the independence and the authority of Pirc; its extremely close relationship with Police Scotland and repeated failures to use its powers or to counter deliberate lies fed into the public domain by police sources.

"The family welcome the Scottish government's national review of Police Scotland, but if it is to be more than a cosmetic exercise then they cannot afford for Pirc to be seen publicly as a toothless regulator which only serves to whitewash police wrongdoing.

Mr Bayoh's family met Lord Advocate Frank Mulholland in Edinburgh last month to discuss the case.