A silent vigil was held in Glasgow on Wednesday evening ahead of the re-opening of the inquiry into the death of Sheku Bayoh.

The 31-year-old died in police custody in 2015, having been arrested on a street in Kirkcaldy.

A crowd gathered at the Concert Hall steps at the top of Buchanan Street to light candles and pay silent tribute to Mr Bayoh on the eighth anniversary of his death, with the public inquiry to re-open in Edinburgh next week.

In the wake of his death questions were raised over the conduct of the officers involved, but the Lord Advocate told Mr Bayoh's family in 2018 that there was not enough evidence to prosecute any of them.

The Herald: Silent vigil at the Buchanan Street Steps, Glasgow to remember Sheku BayohSilent vigil at the Buchanan Street Steps, Glasgow to remember Sheku Bayoh (Image: Colin Mearns)

Mr Bayoh was originally from Sierra Leone and had lived in Scotland since he was 17.

On the day he died he had taken MDMA and a drug called Flakka, having watched a boxing match at a friend's house, after which it's said he became aggressive.

Read More: Officers investigating Sheku Bayoh death ran terrorist checks, inquiry told

Mr Bayoh took a kitchen knife from the house and police were called, but he was not in possession of the weapon when officers arrived.

His official cause of death was given as "sudden death in a man intoxicated…[drugs] whilst under restraint" but questions have been raised about the accounts given in police reports and the behaviour of the arresting officers.

Scottish Police Federation (SPF) lawyer Peter Watson told the media that "a petite female police officer was subjected to a violent and unprovoked attack by a very large man who punched, kicked and stamped on her."

The Herald:

Analysis of CCTV evidence and initial police statements appear to show officers discharging irritant spray into Mr Bayoh's face immediately, with one officer also drawing a baton.

The alleged stamp was reported by two unnamed officers, Officer B and Officer C. The officer allegedly stamped on, Officer D, did not report it in her own initial statement and CCTV is unclear.

Eyewitnesses have also disputed claims by police that Mr Bayoh was restrained for only 30 seconds, with one telling a BBC programme in 2020 that the deceased had officers on top of him for several minutes and that "I heard him screaming. It sent chills through me".

A public inquiry, announced in 2019, will resume on May 9 at Capital House, Edinburgh.