Former police officer Nicole Short says Sheku Bayoh assault turned the world 'the other way up'

The policewoman who was current on the day of Sheku Bayoh's loss of life has stated that the occasions of that day have turned her world “upside down”.

Speaking at a media convention in Glasgow, Nicole Short stated: “I describe it as the old Nicole and the new Nicole. It's like my life was reset that day and I've spent every day trying to rebuild it”.

She was talking because the Scottish Police Federation (SPF), the physique that represents rank and file officers, First Minister John Swinney attacked for agreeing to fulfill Mr Bioh's household,

The official investigation into the loss of life has fallen into disaster following the resignation of chairman Lord Bracadale and 4 of the inquiry's legal professionals.

Mr Bayoh, who was 31, died after being restrained by six cops. On 3 May 2015 he was reported to be carrying a knife and behaving disorderly on a road in Kirkcaldy.

He didn’t have a knife with him when officers arrived on the scene, though police stated a knife was recovered from the place he was stopped.

Mr. Beoh fainted throughout a battle with officers and later died in hospital.

Ms Short was and is among the first officers to reach on the scene The assault was first described by Mr. BayohShe was being punched and stomped on the again of the top whereas she lay injured on the bottom.

Due to this, he was given retirement on the grounds of ailing well being.

Sitting down with SPF common secretary David Kennedy and lawyer Peter Watson on Wednesday, Ms Short stated she suffers from post-traumatic stress dysfunction (PTSD) and described the continued results of what occurred that day.

“It's always there,” she stated. “It's the first thing you think about in the morning and the last thing you think about at night.

“There have been times where I'll just be in my living room and it will appear on the news and then it shakes everything up again and then it calls my family, you know, who help me get back together again.

“I describe it as when I mentally go to class, and then it takes me a while to get back down. I still talk to an NHS psychologist today. They've been fantastic.”

The Sheku Bayoh inquiry began in November 2020, chaired by Lord Bracadale.

The investigation is looking at how police dealt with the aftermath, the investigation into Mr Bayoh's death and whether race was a factor.

But the former judge stepped down months after rejecting calls from the SPF to resign over concerns about his meetings with Mr Bayoh's family.

Lord Bracadale said that those attending the inquiry had “lost confidence in my conduct of the investigation to an extent that it cannot be regained”.

The inquiry's senior counsel Angela Graham Casey, Laura Thomson Casey and Jason Beare Casey resigned two days later, as did junior counsel Rachel Barrett and Sarah Loosemore.

Mr Bioh's family and his lawyer have repeatedly insisted that Lord Bracadale has done nothing wrong Said to feel “completely betrayed” by the criminal justice system after his resignation.

The inquiry has heard all its evidence and its final stage will be the hearing of closing arguments.

Ms Short said she wanted a new chairperson to be appointed and the rest of the investigation to be conducted “on an equal footing”.

He denied that race played any role in the decisions he and his fellow officers made that day. Ms Short also paid tribute to her colleagues.

She said, “He saved my life that day. If he had not intervened I would not be here and I will always hold a special place in my heart for him.”

“They mean a lot to me. I will never be able to repay them but I will never forget their quick thinking and their bravery and I will never be able to thank them enough.”

David Kennedy used the incident to criticize the First Minister in a statement saying: “The First Minister's interference undermines the possibility of a fair and transparent investigation.

“If we move to a situation where police officers do nothing to stop someone armed with a knife for fear of being accused of racism, we will be powerless to protect the public.

“It cannot be right that we have a First Minister who does not care at all about a police officer seriously injured in the line of duty, but who expresses support for the family of a man who armed himself with a knife and terrorized ordinary people going to work.”

Former First Ministers Nicola Sturgeon and Hamza Yusuf additionally met Sheku Bayoh's household.