A further arrest has been made as detectives continue to investigate a number of linked incidents in the West and East of Scotland, bringing the total to 42.
Officers executed a warrant at an address in Glasgow on the evening of Thursday, 29 May, 2025.
A 20-year-old man was arrested and charged in connection with fire-raising at a house on Drumchapel Road, Glasgow, on Tuesday, 13 May. He appeared at Glasgow Sheriff Court on Friday, 30 May.
Extensive enquiries remain ongoing and a dedicated team of officers from our Specialist Crime Division, with support from local divisions across the country, continue to work together to gather vital evidence and reassure the public with intelligence-led patrols.
Over the course of the investigation so far, more than 8,000 homes have been visited and more than 1,600 vehicles have been stopped, as officers continue to gather information.
Detective Chief Superintendent Dave Ferry said: “I want to be clear that violence will not be tolerated, and we will not stop until we bring those responsible to justice.
“We are still following positive lines of enquiry, and this arrest highlights our continued resolve to target organised crime.
“The support of our communities remains vital, and I want to again express my sincere thanks to the public for their continued help and information so far.
“If you know anything that could assist our ongoing investigation, please do the right thing and speak to us.”
Anyone with information is asked to contact Police Scotland via 101 quoting incident number 0562 of Friday, 21 March, 2025. Alternatively, you can call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 where information can be given anonymously.
A man has been convicted following his involvement in significant disorder within Edinburgh during Bonfire Night 2024.
Jordan McMillan, 24, was found guilty of culpable and reckless conduct after providing fireworks to individuals who then threw these items and other projectiles at police officers and members of the public in Niddrie Mains Road.
He will be sentenced on Monday, 14 July.
Chief Superintendent David Robertson, Divisional Commander for Edinburgh said: “This conviction should send a very clear message that the reckless and dangerous behaviour we witnessed across Edinburgh last year will not be tolerated.
“Further positive court outcomes for those involved in disorder during 2024 are anticipated and we are currently working with key partners ahead of Bonfire Night 2025 to protect our communities from this reckless and dangerous behaviour, which simply has to stop.”
A man has been sentenced to four years in prison for assault and robbery in Edinburgh.
Conlan Carr, 27, was found guilty at Edinburgh Sheriff Court on Wednesday, 21 May, 2025. He was sentenced at the same court on Tuesday (3 June).
In the early hours of Thursday, 11 May, 2023, Carr entered a property on Craigentinny Road, armed with a knife.
He made threats to the two occupants, stealing a mobile phone and a car. A 29-year-old man was taken to hospital with serious injuries.
Detective Constable Euan Chancellor said: “This was a terrifying experience for those involved, and Carr will now face the consequences of his actions. I hope this outcome provides some reassurance to the victims.
“We remain committed to thoroughly investigating violent crime and ensuring those responsible are held to account.”
Shopkeepers’ leaders urge people not to buy from black market and pass on details of illicit sellers to police and trading standards
Edinburgh residents are being urged to help shut down supplies of illegal vapes across the region.The Scottish Grocers’ Federation (SGF) has issued a plea for people who use vaping products not to buy from illicit sellers.
And the city-headquartered convenience store trade body, which represents retailers in Edinburgh and throughout the Lothians, is urging people to share details of those who they suspect are selling goods illegally to pass on concerns to trading standards, police or anonymously via Crimestoppers.
Single-use vapes became outlawed across the United Kingdom on June 1. All stock needed to be immediately removed from shop shelves.
SGF President Graham Watson, himself a community convenience store owner, said: “As an organisation, we have significant concerns that an unintended consequence of the ban will be an increase in the illegal sale of vaping products.
“It is harmful in so many ways for illegal and unregulated products to be circulating.
“Our members work incredibly hard to champion responsible community retailing, within the law. Illicit supplies undermine the great work they do.
“With all of that in mind, we are asking people not to buy from illicit sellers and to share any information they have with those responsible for them to the authorities. If they do not have the information, they cannot act against them.”
A 25-year-old man has been sentenced after being convicted of a serious sexual assault in Edinburgh.
Rowan McKenna attacked a woman at a property in the west of the city in July 2023.
He was jailed for 10 years and six months and placed on the Sex Offenders Register when he appeared at the High Court in Edinburgh yesterday (Monday, 2 June), after being previously convicted for the serious sexual assault and an assault to injury.
Detective Sergeant Craig Donnelly said: “My thoughts are with the woman who showed immense strength in assisting our investigation. I hope this sentencing brings her some form of comfort.
“We are committed to bringing those responsible for sexual abuse to justice. We work with a range of partner agencies to support victims and carry out investigations.
“Anyone with concerns or information should contact Police Scotland through 101, or make a call anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”
POLICE are appealing for information after a teenage girl was the victim of a serious sexual assault in Edinburgh on Sunday, 25 May, 2025.
The incident happened shortly after 5am in a basement storage area on York Place.
The 15-year-old girl was approached by a man at a bus stop by Marks and Spencer on Princes Street at around 5am. He then took her on foot to York Place.
After the assault the suspect left the area in the direction of Dublin Street.
The suspect is described as a white man with blond stubble/beard who spoke with a Scottish accent. He was wearing a black zip up hooded top, khaki green trousers, and Nike trainers. He wore a black balaclava.
Detective Inspector Mhairi Cooper from the Public Protection Unit in Edinburgh said: “This was a frightening incident for the girl and we have specialist officers supporting her and her family.
“From extensive enquiries within Edinburgh City Centre, we know the suspect approached her on Princes Street and then led her onto South St David Street, around St Andrew Square, onto Queen Street, then to York Place.
“Despite the early morning there was daylight in this busy commercial area. I am asking people who were within the area at the time and could have seen the suspect alone or with the victim, to come forward.
“CCTV from the New Town area is being gathered and checked – I would ask anyone with private systems to check these and submit anything of relevance to us as soon as possible.
“We continue to carry out door to door enquiries and I’d appeal to local residents and businesses in New Town who may have premises off street level to check any storage areas or lock ups and report any suspicious items or behaviour to us.”
Chief Inspector Brian Manchester, Local Area Commander, said: “We understand an incident such as this is concerning for the local community, and we have a dedicated enquiry team working on this investigation.
“Anyone with concerns should speak to officers without hesitation.”
Those with information should contact Police Scotland via 101 and quote incident number 0136 of 27 May 2025. An anonymous report can be made to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
Ash Regan’s claims of “epidemic” of abuse collapsed by admission that new laws could lead to just 45 recorded crimes each year – similar to numbers fined for littering
Bill documents riddled with mathematical and factual errors – including claim it costs just 50p an hour to train police officers
Pro-Nordic Model groups supporting Bill set to cash in with multimillion pound taxpayer windfall
Ash Regan’s claims that Scotland’s prostitution laws have led to an epidemic of violence against women have been ‘fatally undermined’ by her admission that outlawing the purchase of sex could lead to just 45 new crimes each year, according to campaigners.
Documents filed by Ms Regan alongside her Prostitution (Offences and Support) (Scotland) Bill show that the Alba MSP expects as few as 25 people to be prosecuted for buying sex each year under the new legislation, with “two cases at most” leading to prison sentences.
The tiny scale of offending sits in stark contrast to her claims that current prostitution laws have led to an “epidemic” of abuse and a national “system of exploitation”. Instead it puts the problem on a par with littering and fly-tipping, for which 47 people received police fines or warnings in 2022-3, the most recent year for which Scottish crime statistics are available.
Sex worker groups and international NGOs have warned that sex workers face high levels of violence, stigma and exploitation, but criminalising clients doesn’t remove those harms. Instead it pushes sex work further underground, making it harder to report abuse, easier to target people already at risk, and more dangerous for those with the least power.
A financial memorandum, filed by Regan at the Scottish Parliament, claims that the new law could cost a staggering £2.6m to enforce in its first year, falling to £2.2m annually thereafter. However, the document contains a number of mathematical and factual errors that suggest that the true cost would be several orders of magnitude higher.
This includes the risible assertion that it could cost just 50p an hour to train officers to enforce the new law, with Regan claiming that 17,000 Police Scotland officers would need just two hours of training in the legislation, which she says could cost as little as £17,000.
However, she acknowledges elsewhere in the document that Police Scotland accounts for its officers’ time at £79.50 per hour, making the true time cost of the training around £2.7m – without accounting for the price of procuring or developing training materials.
In other ‘scarcely believable’ costings, Ash Regan claims that the only costs involved in finding, pursuing and arresting a person purchasing sex would be six hours of a single police constable’s time, with no involvement from any senior officers.
In reality, police investigations involving indoor sex work are led by specially trained officers who review websites commonly used by sex workers to advertise. These officers work in coordination with specialist operational teams deployed on the ground, as well as dedicated victim support units.
After a person is arrested, Ms Regan claims that it would take just “an additional six hours of police work”, costing £477, for each case that proceeds to charge. However, the independent Policing Productivity Review, carried out last year for the UK Home Office, found that the average time officers spend building a case file is 63 hours.
The financial memorandum also shows how groups supporting the Bill would cash in with a multimillion pound taxpayer windfall if the new law is passed. Ms Regan suggests that the Trafficking Awareness Raising Alliance (TARA), an enthusiastic supporter of the Nordic Model, should have its public funding doubled to £1.24m per year, to provide support services to sex workers impacted by the new law, while other local groups should receive a further £1.25m per year of taxpayer funds.
Lynsey Walton, chief executive of National Ugly Mugs, the UK’s national sex worker safety charity, said: “Ash Regan is trying to have it both ways. In public she claims that the Nordic Model is needed to stop a national epidemic of abuse, but privately she admits that changing the law would lead to only a handful of cases a year – on a par with littering.
“As the UK’s national sex worker safety charity, NUM works with police forces across the country to support sex workers during investigations. This means we know that Regan’s estimates of police time needed to enforce her proposed legislation are laughably false, just like her ludicrous claims that it costs just 50p an hour to train officers.
“Sex worker groups, alongside NGOs like Amnesty and the World Health Organisation, oppose the new law on the grounds that it will make life more difficult and dangerous for sex workers, while costing taxpayers millions of pounds a year to enforce. The only winners will be the pro-Nordic Model groups that support Regan’s Bill, who she argues should pocket millions of pounds of taxpayers’ cash.
“If we truly want to address systemic violence against sex workers, we need full decriminalisation, not another expensive, performative policy that protects no one.”
An official government review of similar legislation in Northern Ireland – the only nation in the UK to enact the Nordic Model – found that there was “no evidence that the offence of purchasing sexual services has produced a downward pressure on the demand for, or supply of, sexual services”.
“It also found that “the legislation has contributed to a climate whereby sex workers feel further marginalised and stigmatised”.
A YouGov poll of 1,088 Scottish adults, carried out last year, showed that Scots firmly oppose the Nordic Model, with 47% saying it should be legal for a person to pay someone to have sex with them, versus 32% who think it should not be legal.
The poll showed that 69% of Scots say MSPs should focus on protecting the health and safety of sex workers, and providing support to people who want to leave the industry, compared to just 14% who support new laws to prevent people exchanging sexual services for money.
Detectives are appealing for information after a man was seriously assaulted in Edinburgh.
Around 9.20pm last night (Thursday, 22 May, 2025), police received a report a man had been attacked by a group of males on Pitcairn Grove. The 54-year-old man was taken to hospital where he remains.
Four or five men, all dressed in dark coloured clothing and wearing balaclavas, got out a grey-coloured Land Rover Discovery and attacked the 54-year-old.
Officers are treating the incident as attempted murder and linked to several incidents which have been ongoing in the east and west of the country.
Enquiries carried out so far have established the Land Rover Discovery travelled eastbound along the M8 and officers are appealing to any road users on the M8 last night to contact them.
Detective Superintendent Paul Grainger said: “This has been a targeted attack and we are continuing our enquiries to identify those responsible.
“We know the Land Rover Discovery drove along the M8 eastbound last night. It may have been driven at speed or erratically so I would appeal to any motorists with dash cams to check their footage as the images could be significant to our investigation.
“If anyone has any information regarding this crime, please contact us.”
Anyone with information is asked to call Police Scotland via 101, quoting incident number 3866 of Thursday, 22 May, 2025. Alternatively, you can call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 where you can remain anonymous.
POLICE officers seized an illegal electric motorcycle in the Drylaw area yesterday afternoon and continue to support city-wide efforts to target motorcycle crime.
We recognise the impact of illegal and anti-social motorcycle use and encourage anyone with information that can assist officer to take them off the street to contact police or Crimestoppers on 0800555111 or at https://orlo.uk/c6VuF
