Sheku Bayoh arrest cop denies claims he wanted to join BNP as a teenager

dailyrecord.co.uk:

A police officer involved in the arrest of Sheku Bayoh has denied ever wanting to join the BNP. The pre-recorded testimony of Alan Paton, who has since retired from Police Scotland, was played to the inquiry into the death of Mr Bayoh, which occurred in Kirkcaldy, Fife, in 2015 while he was being detained by police.During the 20-minute recording, Mr Paton denied claims he wanted to join the BNP as a teenager, and he also denied making racist remarks to an Asian family who lived near him and using other racist language.Mr Paton described the claims, made by his sister Karen Swan, as “not true in its entirety” and “an entire lot of made-up nonsense”.

The former police officer also told the inquiry that father-of-two Mr Bayoh “uttered not one word” while he was being restrained in Hayfield Road.Mr Paton said: “From my initial engagement with him to the conclusion of my involvement, he remained silent.

The only screams I heard was that of (police officer) Nicole Short.”He was read the witness statement of Ashley Wise, who saw the arrest, which said she saw “a man going down to the ground with about six police officers around him” and that “the man kept making roaring noises and shouting something similar to ‘get off me'”.Mr Paton said she was “mistaken” and that Mr Bayoh did not make the noise.

Mr Bayoh, 31, died after he was restrained on the ground by multiple officers. The inquiry into his death is examining whether race was a factor.Mr Paton and fellow officer Craig Walker were first on the scene after reports Mr Bayoh had been carrying a knife and attacking vehicles.The inquiry has previously heard that when they arrived, they rapidly deployed their incapacitant sprays on unarmed Mr Bayoh, and Pc Walker said the gas