Detective claims race played no part in his actions over Sheku Bayoh
The inquiry has so far cost almost £10.5 million
Last updated 1st Mar 2023
A detective who withheld information from Sheku Bayoh's partner after he died has told an inquiry that race played no role in his actions on that day.
Detective Inspector Graeme Dursley has been giving evidence to the inquiry into 31-year-old Bayoh's death in Kirkcaldy in 2015.
Bayoh died after being restrained by Police officer in Kirkcaldy on May 3 2015.
The inquiry in Edinburgh, which has so far cost almost £10.5 million, is investigating the circumstances of the trainee gas engineer's death, the level of police involvement, and if race was a factor.
Mr Dursley led Police Scotland officers on delivering the death messages to Bayoh's family and searching his property.
He has previously told the inquiry that he regrets that he and a colleague decided not to tell Bayoh's partner Collette Bell that he was in police custody when he died.
Mr Dursley told the inquiry: "I would hate for the public to think that me as a police officer or the team that I'm working with would have done anything different on that day because Mr Bayoh was black."
He said if race did play a factor with other officers involved "you would want to get that dealt with and you'd want to get that person".
Mr Dursley told the inquiry that, while he was protective of the police, that would not impact upon his ability to investigate.
"Although I'm saying I'm a police officer, I love the police and everything like that, I have also investigated police officers," he said.
"I also know there's not good police officers, that's why I'm saying you keep an open mind and if there is something that they have done that was wrong, I would be more than happy to arrest a police officer.
"If the circumstances dictated, I would do that."
He also told inquiry he could have handled the situation better.
A duty senior officer who was investigating on the day Mr Bayoh died began to give evidence this afternoon (Wednesday, March 1).
43-year-old Colin Robson arrived at the scene minutes after an alert was raised on the Police radio.
Mr Robson, who was a detective inspector in May 2015, said he "very quickly" realised somebody was on the ground when he arrived at Hayfield Road where Mr Bayoh was detained and said the father-of-two did not appear to be moving when he arrived.
The inquiry, before Lord Bracadale, continues.