A long-awaited report into the death of Fife father-of-two Sheku Bayoh in police custody has finally been submitted to the Crown Office.
The move which comes after an investigation that has taken a year and three months to complete, leading the family solicitor Aamer Anwar to renew a call for a fundamental reform of the Police Investigations & Review Commissioner (PIRC). He also wants a public inquiry to be set up into the death.
The PIRC has confirmed it has completed a supplementary report to the Lord Advocate on the circumstances surrounding the death.
Mr Bayoh, 31, died after being restrained by officers on May 3, 2015, and his family has been demanding answers ever since.
PIRC said an interim report was sent to the Lord Advocate in August 2015.
He will now consider the findings in the PIRC reports before deciding what appropriate action should be taken.
A spokesman for the PIRC said: "The Commissioner has submitted a supplementary report to the Lord Advocate on her independent investigation into the circumstances surrounding the death of Sheku Bayoh and further allegations raised by the family of Sheku Bayoh and their legal representative.
“The Commissioner appreciates that this has been a difficult period for the family of Mr Bayoh whilst this complex and wide ranging investigation has continued.
“A significant part of the work involved the gathering of expert evidence from a range of specialist forensic pathologists to give a greater understanding as to the cause of Mr Bayoh's death.
"During the enquiry additional lines of investigation emerged which have lengthened the process.
“The Commissioner ensured that all of the matters raised were rigorously explored so that the Lord Advocate is presented with a comprehensive report in order that he can make informed decisions on further action.
“The Commissioner considered it was important that the quality of the investigation was not compromised by speed.
“She will undertake any further enquiries as directed by the Lord Advocate.”
Mr Anwar said that in the time it has taken to complete the investigation, the Bayoh family’s confidence in the robustness and impartiality the PIRC probe "has been shattered".
"The Bayoh family hope that they can maintain confidence in the new Lord Advocate, James Wolffe QC, to ensure all necessary further enquiries are completed by Crown Office before any conclusion is reached on what happens next. We understand that this process is likely to take some time," he said.
"Whilst the family await the Lord Advocate’s decision on the appropriate way to proceed, they believe there is still a need for fundamental reform of PIRC so that no family who loses a loved one through a death in custody is forced to set up a campaign simply to get answers.
"As a result the Bayoh family maintain their call for a public inquiry to be set up into the death in custody of Sheku Bayoh and into the wider issues raised surrounding police accountability in Scotland.
"Sheku’s family and his partner Collette remain determined to fight for justice and the truth.”
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