Sheku Bayoh death inquiry told investigating officers considered terrorism link

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Officers investigating an incident where a man died after being restrained by police considered whether the case could be linked to terrorism, an inquiry has heard.Detective Chief Superintendent Pat Campbell said he initially considered various hypotheses which could have led to the death of Sheku Bayoh, including that it could be linked to the restraint by officers, or could be due to an underlying medical condition.He said the idea of a potential terrorism link was “quickly eliminated” after background checks, but that investigating various hypotheses was part of keeping an open mind during the inquiry.Mr Bayoh, 31, a father-of-two, died after he was restrained on the ground by six police officers in Kirkcaldy, Fife, on May 3 2015.The inquiry is investigating the circumstances of his death and whether race was a factor.Mr Campbell, who was a detective superintendent at the time, said he came up with a number of theories as he drove to Kirkcaldy on May 3 after being appointed senior investigating officer (SIO) to the incident.Angela Grahame KC, lead counsel to the inquiry, asked why he considered the terrorism-related idea as a hypothesis in the first place.Mr Campbell said: “It was really the circumstances of the incident.

What we had was a male with a knife at six o’clock in the morning in a relatively quiet town, Kirkcaldy, acting erratically.“So again, that was not the initial focus, that was just one of the hypotheses as I say, just to keep it extremely open and transparent that we were looking at absolutely everything that we could basically consider to ensure that there was rationale and accountability around my decision-making around that.“But as I say, it was only one aspect of it, but with the necessary checks