Sheku Bayoh died in Scotland in 2015 after he was held face down by up to nine police officers after subjecting him to CS spray, pepper spray, batons, handcuffs and leg restraints.
Sheku lost consciousness within a few minutes and died. His body was covered from top to bottom in bruises and lacerations, he had a fractured rib with petechial hemorrhages in his eyes - a sign of asphyxiation.
Seven years on, not one officer has been disciplined, let alone charged nor will any ever face trial for Sheku’s death.
The STUC and our affiliated trade unions fully support the Justice for Sheku Bayoh campaign.
We encourage union branches to attend the Public Inquiry, support events & donate to the campaign.
Sheku's Story
Sheku came to Scotland when he was 17, thinking it would be safer for a young black man to grow up in the small town of Kirkcaldy rather than London. He died on a Scottish street, 31 years-old, leaving behind his two young sons. 
On the 3rd May 2015 around 7.15am police responded to reports of a black man acting erratically, walking down the street and holding a knife. Six police vehicles were dispatched, yet when the Police arrived Sheku was carrying neither a knife nor or any weapon.
The first four officers that arrived used CS spray, pava spray and batons on him, Sheku was brought to the ground in less than 45 seconds of the first officers arriving. He stopped breathing within in minutes never to recover.
All nine officers returned to the Police Station and sat together in a canteen for up to 8 hours whilst failing to give statements to investigators for some 32 days. In the hours that followed many lies were told including that he had attacked a police officer with a knife.
The case of George Floyd has highlighted globally the issue of racial injustice and killings at the hands of the police, but Black Lives Matter also in the UK. Since 1969, in the UK there has not been a single successful prosecution of a police officer for homicide.
A Public Inquiry is underway looking at the circumstances leading up to the death of Sheku, as well as the post-incident management and the investigation into his death. It will also examine whether race played a part in what happened.
This Inquiry is likely to last up to two years and could conclude as late as eight years after Sheku died in police custody.
How you can support the campaign
Please support the nationwide campaign, make a contribution to the family's Crowd Justice fund if you can, share this page on social media with the hashtag #ShekuBayoh, follow the campaign on twitter/X @BayohJustice, and spread the word about the injustice that has devastated Sheku’s family for the last five years, and fight to ensure no other family is denied justice.
For collective donations, cheques can be made out to the Scottish Trade Union Congress and posted to us at 8 Landressy Street, Bridgeton, G40 1BP. Please mark the envelope "Sheku Bayoh Family Justice", or alternatively email us at info@stuc.org.uk for details for BACS transfer.
A Portrait of Sheku Bayoh
Public Inquiry
An independent public inquiry was set up to examine the events surrounding the death of Sheku Bayoh, the subsequent investigation and whether race was a factor. Sheku’s family attended the inquiry daily. The official inquiry website can be found here.
We await further dates for the Inquiry hearings and will publicise them on here and on our socials. We encourage all trade unionists to support the family in their fight for justice by attending the hearings.
