Neighbour says he saw Sheku Bayoh with a knife

Sheku Bayoh died in police custody in 2015

A neighbour of Sheku Bayoh has told a public inquiry he saw the 31-year-old carrying a knife on the morning he died. 

Mr Bayoh died in police custody after being restrained by officers in Kirkcaldy, Fife, in May 2015.

His family has said they believe race played a part in his death.

Neil Morgan told the inquiry he had just got home from a night shift when his daughter told him two men were fighting in a nearby garden.

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• 'Why did my brother Sheku die in police custody?'

Mr Morgan said when he went outside he saw Mr Bayoh, who he knew as Chris, and noticed his neighbour was carrying an eight-inch kitchen knife.

He said his neighbour "wasn't himself" and was "starry" but seemed quite calm and was not in a rage.

The witness said Mr Bayoh was tapping the knife on his leg but he didn't feel threatened - even when Mr Bayoh poked him in the stomach with the blade while saying "it's not even sharp".

'Didn't feel threatened'

Angela Grahame QC, leading the inquiry in Edinburgh, asked about his reaction to this, and Mr Morgan replied: "Nothing really.

"I certainly didn't feel threatened by him.

"My biggest concern was I wanted him to come home and just settle down whatever he was doing that had upset him, come in and have a cup of coffee."

Mr Morgan described Mr Bayoh as "a really nice guy", "never no trouble, just nice".

He said Mr Bayoh walked away after refusing his coffee invitation, saying he was fine.

The death of Sheku Bayoh

Mobile phone footage of police restraining Sheku Bayoh was obtained by BBC Panorama

Police were called out in the early hours of 3 May 2015 after Sheku Bayoh was seen behaving erratically with a knife in a Kirkcaldy street. He had earlier taken drugs which friends said altered his behaviour.

According to police statements, when officers arrived he no longer had the knife, but failed to obey instructions to get down on the ground.

• 'Why did my brother Sheku die in police custody?'

The officers used force on Mr Bayoh, including CS Spray and batons. He then punched PC Nicole Short, who fell to the ground.

Two officers, PC Craig Walker and PC Ashley Tomlinson, later told investigators that Mr Bayoh carried out a violent stamping attack on PC Short. However, evidence obtained by the BBC's Panorama programme suggested these accounts may have been false.

Mr Bayoh was restrained for five minutes before falling unconscious. He was pronounced dead in hospital a short time later.

Fellow neighbour Naomi Rhodes, also giving evidence, said she was woken by shouting outside her bedroom window the morning Mr Bayoh died.

She told the inquiry she saw two men fighting, and one of them was Mr Bayoh.

When Ms Grahame asked her about Mr Bayoh's behaviour that morning, Ms Rhodes replied: "He wasn't being himself, he was fighting."

She described Mr Bayoh, who she had known for four years, as a "good neighbour and friendly natured, never any hassle".

The inquiry before Lord Bracadale continues.