Grieving families of Sheku Bayoh and Allan Marshall demand Nicola Sturgeon meeting
dailyrecord.co.ukThe grieving families of two men who died in police custody have delivered a letter to the First Minister's residence to demand a meeting with her and the Justice Secretary.
Allan Marshall and Sheku Bayoh both died in custody in 2015. Mr Marshall, 30, was being held on remand at HMP Edinburgh in March 2015 when he suffered a cardiac arrest during a lengthy struggle with staff.
Later that year, in May, 31-year-old Mr Bayoh died after he was restrained by nine police officers in Kirkcaldy. A fatal accident inquiry (FAI) found that Mr Marshall’s death was “entirely preventable”, while Mr Bayoh’s is currently subject to a public inquiry.The two families came together on Saturday to hold a remembrance vigil outside the First Minister’s Bute House residence, where Mr Marshall’s family announced that they have requested a review of his case by the Lord Advocate.Demands were detailed in the families’ letter, including a meeting with Nicola Sturgeon and Justice Secretary Keith Brown to discuss concerns over the current system and the handling of both men’s cases.Mr Bayoh’s family said that their vulnerability in the aftermath of his death was acknowledged, and called for the system to “look after the real victims – those who have lost their loved ones”.The family of Mr Marshall called for FAIs to be abolished, writing that the system “does not serve the families, but only gives false hope”.
They issued a public appeal for other families affected by a death in custody to come forward and join the campaign.Sharon Macfadyen, Mr Marshall’s aunt, said: “We have asked the Lord Advocate to review Allan’s case and we are confident of a positive outcome.
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