Black Man Who Died After Police Restraint Was ‘Smeared And Criminalised’

London: A probe into the death of a black man who was restrained by police has been told that he was “smeared, vilified and criminalised” by authorities. A public inquiry is being held into the circumstances of Sheku Bayoh’s death in May 2015, after years of campaigning by his family. Their legal representatives say the 32-year-old died of positional asphyxia after being held down by several police officers, but the Scottish Police Federation has emphasised the potential role of recreational drugs. Officers had been called to reports of Mr Bayoh, who had taken a knife from his home, walking the streets in Kirkcaldy, Fife. The Inquest charity, which supported Mr Bayoh’s family, said he was restrained face-down on the ground within less than a minute of the first officers’ arrival.

Mr Bayoh, who had taken MDMA and Flakka, was found to have suffered 23 separate injuries including a cracked rib and head wounds. In a statement issued on Monday, the chair of the public inquiry said it would look at how police responded to the call, how they dealt with the aftermath of the incident and “whether the issue of race was a factor”. A statement on behalf of Mr Bayoh’s family and his partner Collette Bell said their fight for a “proper investigation” had come at immense personal cost.

Read more: Lizzie Dearden, Guardian, https://is.gd/KZilev