Legal team in Sheku Bayoh Inquiry quits days after chair Lord Bracadale

The five to step down in the wake of Lord Bracadale’s departure are senior counsel to the Inquiry Angela Graham KC, Laura Thomson KC and Jason Beer KC along with Junior counsel Rachel Barrett and Sarah Loosemore.

They led questioning at the hearings into the death in police custody of Mr Bayoh, 31, after he was restrained by six officers in an incident in the Fife town of Kirkcaldy in 2015.

Lord Bracadale announced he was stepping down on Tuesday, five years after the inquiry started, because “many of the core participants have lost confidence in my conduct of the inquiry to such an extent that it cannot be retrieved”.

He had previously refused calls to quit by the Scottish Police Federation over concerns about his private meetings with My Bayoh’s family, held in an attempt to retain their confidence and participation in the inquiry.

The inquiry confirmed on Friday that following Lord Bracadale’s resignation, senior and junior counsel to the inquiry, who were all appointed by him, had resigned during the course of this week.

It said the appointment of inquiry counsel was a matter for its chair and the appointment of a new chair was a matter for Scottish ministers.

Aamer Anwar, the Bayoh family’s solicitor, has said the resignation of the chair could set back the legal process by years.

He described it as a “warning shot” from police to other judges who may be considering taking up the role.

Mr Anwar said: “Despite the desperate claims of the Scottish Police Federation, the chair Lord Bracadale had done nothing wrong, a judge with over 50 years’ legal experience, who was respected for his impartiality and integrity.

“There is nothing wrong with the chair treating a bereaved family with compassion and respect. But the treatment of Lord Bracadale by our institutionally racist criminal justice system is a warning to any judge who dares to act without fear or favour.”