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THE inquiry into the death in police custody of Sheku Bayoh restarted in Edinburgh today.
On May 3 2015, police, responding to reports that Mr Bayoh had been seen carrying a knife, pepper-sprayed him and then used their batons to beat him to the ground, where he was held down by six officers and bound hand and foot.
Accusations of racism have dogged the case, leading to former Police Scotland chief constable Iain Livingstone admitting earlier this year that “institutional racism, sexism, misogyny and discrimination exist” in the force.
On day 70 of the inquiry today, inspector James Young, who was responsible for a review of officer safety training, confirmed that officers had been trained to put weight on the shoulder of a detainee, rather than on the person’s back, as occurred in Mr Bayoh’s case.
He said: “When you place pressure through the back, especially the weight … of a person, that minimises or at times will stop the chest being able to expand, the diaphragm being able to push up and obviously that then has that negative impact on that person's ability to breathe.”
The inquiry, chaired by Lord Bracadale, continues.
