26-04-2025
£49m: That's the shocking cost of Sheku Bayoh death probe...so far
Prosecutors have spent more than £1million on the ongoing probe into the death of Sheku Bayoh, pushing the total cost so far to £49million.
The Crown Office disclosed the scale of its expenditure as the Scottish parliament prepares to investigate the amount spent on statutory inquiries.
The inquiry itself has cost £23.8million including the fees for legal representation for Mr Bayoh's relatives.
Mr Bayoh, 31, died in Kirkcaldy in 2015 after being restrained by police. Former Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf later ordered the public inquiry.
The Edinburgh-based probe, which is looking into the circumstances of Mr Bayoh's death and whether or not race played any role, started in November 2020.
From November 2019 to April 2025, the Crown Office said it had recorded £1,015,005 in costs related to the inquiry.
Latest figures show that by the end of December last year the overall cost of Lord Bracadale's inquiry itself, covering factors such as its set-up and staffing, had hit £23,765,467.
This was up from £22,095,804 at the end of September. This figure does not include Crown Office or Police Scotland spending.
It emerged this month that dealing with the inquiry has cost Police Scotland almost £25million, giving a combined total of around £49million.
By comparison, the nine-year-long inquiry into the Edinburgh trams fiasco cost £13.1million – roughly the same as Sir John Chilcot's Iraq War probe, which took seven years to complete.
Mr Bayoh died after residents reported seeing a man acting erratically and apparently carrying a knife. After being restrained by officers, he lost consciousness and was taken to hospital but was pronounced dead.
In 2018, the Lord Advocate ruled that no criminal charges should be brought against the officers involved in the case.
A response from Police Scotland under freedom of information laws revealed that as of January 31 this year, Operation TARN – the name of the investigation – had cost the force £24,277,408. More than £17million has been spent on legal services, with the rest spent on officer and staff costs.
Last month, the family of Mr Bayoh settled a civil action against the Chief Constable, first raised in May 2018, in which they were seeking £1.85million in damages over his death.
Justice Secretary Angela Constance announced this week that Lord Scott, KC, would head a public inquiry into Police Scotland's investigation of the murder of Emma Caldwell in 2005.
Commenting on the Sheku Bayoh Inquiry, Deputy Chief Constable Alan Speirs said Police Scotland 'has participated fully in every aspect... and our commitment to positively assist the chair [Lord Bracadale] in discharging the terms of reference remains unchanged'.
It emerged last month that the cost-effectiveness of public inquiries in Scotland is to be investigated by Holyrood's finance committee. MSPs will examine what spending controls are in place to ensure the taxpayer is getting value for money.
A spokesman for the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service said: 'We welcome every opportunity to reflect upon our work and identify any possible areas for improvement.'
A spokesman for the Sheku Bayoh Inquiry said: 'The Inquiries Act 2005 obliges the chair to avoid any unnecessary costs.
'We continue to do everything possible to ensure the inquiry, which has heard 122 days of evidence, delivers best value while fulfilling its terms of reference.'
The Scottish Government has said that 'managing expenditure is the responsibility of the chair of the relevant inquiry'.
