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Police Union Pushes Fatal Accident Inquiry as Sheku Bayoh Probe Stalls, Family Objects

The family’s lawyer says a downgrade would miss questions of race and post‑death handling.

Overview

  • The public inquiry was paused after chair Lord Bracadale resigned over impartiality questions and the inquiry’s counsel then stepped down.
  • At a press conference, the Scottish Police Federation’s David Kennedy and lawyer Peter Watson suggested a new chair could proceed via a fatal accident inquiry.
  • Aamer Anwar, representing Bayoh’s family, rejected that route, citing the lord advocate’s view that an FAI lacks the scope required.
  • Former PC Nicole Short spoke publicly, reiterated that she was assaulted, said she lives with PTSD and disability, and called for a new chair and a transparent process.
  • Evidence to the inquiry includes a pathologist’s view that restraint during a struggle was a major factor in Bayoh’s death, alongside disputed medical assessments of Short’s injuries.