THE police officers who informed Sheku Bayoh’s partner of his death were ordered not to tell her that he had died after coming into contact with police, an inquiry heard today. 

When Collette Bell was contacted by an officer, she was simply told that a “black male has been found dead” and he was believed to have been her partner.

Mr Bayoh, 31, died after being restrained by six officers on the ground in Kirkcaldy, Fife, in May 2015. A public inquiry at Capital House in Edinburgh is investigating the circumstances of his death and whether race was a factor. 
 
Today, the inquiry heard a statement from Detective Sergeant Dursely, one of the officers involved in the incident, describing how he relayed the news of Mr Bayoh’s death to Ms Bell.