Sheku Bayoh inquiry hears friend not told of his death before being questioned

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Police did not tell a friend of Sheku Bayoh he had died during questioning in the immediate aftermath of his death, an inquiry has heard.A former senior police officer told the Sheku Bayoh inquiry he believes the man “ought to have been told” about the death before he was subject to several hours of questioning at Kirkcaldy Police Station in Fife.Retired assistant chief constable Ruaraidh Nicolson was giving evidence to the inquiry on Thursday when he heard that officers did not inform Martin Dick his friend had died prior to questioning.Mr Dick only learned of Mr Bayoh’s death after he left the station, the inquiry heard.

Asked if that caused him any concern, Mr Nicolson replied: “It causes me a lot of concern. "He ought to have been told so that when he gives his statement he knows and understands exactly why he is giving a statement.” Mr Bayoh, 31, a father-of-two, died after he was restrained on the ground by six police officers in Kirkcaldy on May 3, 2015.The inquiry is investigating the circumstances of his death, how police dealt with the aftermath, the subsequent investigation and whether race was a factor.Mr Nicolson, the most senior officer on duty on the day of the incident, also heard on Thursday that police then denied Mr Dick access to his home following his examination at the police station.Senior counsel Angela Grahame KC said Mr Dick was not allowed to retrieve his car from the property to get to work, and she asked Mr Nicolson if he found this concerning.

He replied, "I do", then asked: "Why would someone not just go and provide him with the keys to his car? I don’t know.” Ms Grahame then asked Mr Nicolson about the way officers searched another property belonging to the family of another man, Zahid