A man has been sentenced to nine years in prison for serious sexual offences in the Edinburgh area and placed on the sex offenders register indefinitely.
Haydn Edmonds, 37, was sentenced today, Friday, 7 June for a series of crimes, including rape, committed between June 2016 and June 2019.
He was previously found guilty following a trail at the High Court in Edinburgh.
Detective Chief Inspector Adam Brown said: “The investigation revealed Edmonds to be a manipulative and sexually violent individual who poses a significant risk to women. It is due to the courage of those came forward to report his abuse that he has been held to account for his actions.
“I would urge anyone who has suffered sexual violence to come forward and report it to us, regardless of the passage of time. Working alongside our partner agencies, we will support you through the process, investigate thoroughly and bring those responsible to justice.
“Anyone with information or concerns should contact Police Scotland on 101, or you can contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.”
Police are appealing for information following a serious assault which occurred in the city centre on Friday, 31 May, 2024.
Around 11.50pm a 36-year-old man was waiting at a bus stop on South Bridge when a man, who was unknown to the victim, walked past and punched him in the face.
The victim then made his way to another bus stop and travelled home. He later attended Edinburgh Royal Infirmary where he received treatment for a broken jaw.
The suspect is described as white, of slim build, and was wearing a white and blue t-shirt and a rucksack.
Detective Sergeant Steven Gray said: “This was a completely unprovoked assault and it is vital that we trace the person responsible.
“There were several members of the public nearby at the time waiting for buses and we would urge anyone who witnessed what happened to get in touch.
“We would also urge anyone with private CCTV or dash-cam footage to check in case they have captured anything which could be of significance to our enquiries.
“Anyone with information is asked to contact Police Scotland on 101, quoting incident number 3199 of Sunday, 2 June, 2024. Alternatively you can call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.”
A 34-year-old man has been arrested in connection with an attempted murder which happened Groathill Road North, Edinburgh around 2.30pm last Wednesday, 29 May, 2024.
A 41-year-old man was taken to the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh for treatment of serious but non-life threatening injuries.
POLICE have issued an image of a man they believe may have information that can assist with an investigation into an assault outside a premises on Dalry Road.
The incident took place shortly after 12.30pm on Saturday, 11 May, 2024.
The man is described as being black, 6ft 2, stocky build, with a short afro and black beard. He was wearing a black hat, black shiny jacket, black cargo trousers and black trainers. He was seen riding an electric bike.
Constable Pete Shannon, of Wester Hailes Police Station, said: “We are eager to talk to the man in this image, as we believe he may be able to assist our enquiries into this incident, and we urge anyone who may recognise him to get in touch as soon as possible.”
Anyone with information is asked to contact Police Scotland on 101, quoting incident number 1590 of 11 May, 2024, or call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.
What had been ‘The Old Kirk and Muirhouse church’ has united with Cramond Kirk to form ‘Edinburgh Northwest Kirk’ [ENK], of which the former TO&M building will be renamed ‘Pennywell Kirk’ over time.
The change in name however does not affect the Summer Fair, just gives us more ‘stuff’ and more volunteers!
Still 30p for adults, accompanied children enter for free.
POLICE are appealing for information following a serious assault of a man in Drylawyesterday. The incident took place in the Groathill Road North area at round 2.30pm on Wednesday (29 May, 2024).
A 41-year-old man was taken to the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh for treatment of serious but non-life threatening injuries.
Detective Constable Peter Lyons said: “Extensive enquiries are being carried out to establish the full circumstances of this incident.
“We are appealing to anyone in the area at the time who may have witnessed the incident or anyone with any information to get in touch.
“I would also urge anyone with dashcam footage or private CCTV that could assist our investigation to contact officers.”
Anyone with any information is asked to contact police via 101 quoting incident 2702 of 29 May. Alternatively, you can call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111, if you wish to remain anonymous.
Two men and a woman have been convicted of human trafficking and brothel keeping offences in Glasgow and Edinburgh.
Qin Huang, 31, Xiao Min, 38, and Guolei Huang, 35, pled guilty at the High Court in Glasgow today (Tuesday, 28 May, 2024).
They are due to be sentenced on Tuesday, 25 June, 2024.
Detective Inspector Mark Dines said: “Human trafficking is a despicable crime that has an unmeasurable long-term impact on its victims.
“We are committed to working with our partners to conduct thorough investigations, to identify those responsible and to protect vulnerable victims from harm.
“During this operation we worked in partnership with the Home Office Criminal & Financial Investigation Team and received assistance from officers of the Metropolitan Police and Cambridgeshire Constabulary.
“We will continue in our efforts to tackle human trafficking and information from people within our communities is key to helping us to identify those involved.
“I ask that anyone with any information or concerns about the welfare of someone they suspect has been trafficked to contact us on 101.”
Scottish Businesses to benefit from global expert insight on tackling Modern Slavery
Scotland Against Modern Slavery (SAMS), which focuses on the elimination of modern slavery and human trafficking has announced an accelerator series of webinars designed to help Scottish businesses tackle the issue in their supply chains.
Businesses in Scotland have supply chains, and often operations, which span the globe. The International Labour Organisation believes that 63% of forced labour happens in the private economy, which accounts for 16million of the 28million men, women, and children in forced labour.
In Scotland alone, 765 referrals were made to Police Scotland as potential victims of human trafficking last year – the highest number since records began. This is up from 600 in 2022.
Human rights and supply chain expert, Elaine Mitchel-Hill, has engaged with SAMS to develop and deliver a Human Rights in Supply Chain Accelerator Series on a pro-bono basis.
She said: “The introduction of the UK Modern Slavery Act in 2016 has had limited impact on tackling human rights abuses by corporations, and there are moves to review and address these, including the recent Commercial and Public Authorities Duty (Human Rights and Environment) Bill put forward by Baroness Young of Hornsey.
“Global environmental and human rights due diligence legislation is moving apace, signalled most recently by the passing of the EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive.
“The truth is that many businesses still do not know where human rights risks lie. Nor do they know where to begin to find out where risks lie. Too many have their heads buried in a ‘compliance’ only approach.
“Still more are not significantly motivated by potential prosecutions and fines – although this is changing. This accelerator series is a great opportunity to engage with global experts to learn and to share.”
Shan Saba, director at Brightwork and a founder of SAMS, said: “The stats don’t lie and this issue is not going away so we hope as many people as possible sign up to the SAMS Human Rights in Supply Chain Accelerator Series to learn more and thereby improve the situation.
“Slavery is a global issue so listening to and learning from our international partners will be invaluable in our efforts to help ensure compliance, eliminate modern slavery, and support human rights.
“Since inception, SAMS has brought together the Scottish Government with over 56 businesses, charities, and NGOs, with the core aims of raising awareness of the problem, supporting survivors into positive employment opportunities and protecting vulnerable communities from exploitation.
“All areas of Scotland have reported cases of human trafficking – anyone can be susceptible, and it is happening in our towns, cities and rural communities, as well as in our global supply chains.”
POLICE are appealing for information after a traffic enforcement camera was damaged in Edinburgh’s southside.
The incident happened between 10.45pm on Sunday, 19 May and 8am on Monday, 20 May, 2024 on Old Dalkeith Road.
Sergeant Karen Durham said: “Our enquiries to establish the full circumstances are ongoing and we are appealing to anyone who may have witnessed anything to come forward.
“Anyone with information that could assist us is asked to contact police on 101 quoting incident 0051 of 22 May, 2024.”
A man has been sentenced to nine years in prison after being convicted of a series of domestic abuse offences in the Edinburgh area.
Brian Taylor, aged 54, committed these crimes over a period of 15 years.
He was previously found guilty of eight charges following a trial at the High Court in Edinburgh and returned for sentencing yesterday – Thursday, 23 May, 2024.
Detective Inspector Mhairi Cooper of the Edinburgh Domestic Abuse Investigation Unit said: “Taylor is an abusive individual who showed no remorse for his violent and abusive behaviour.
“It is incredibly difficult for someone to confront their abuser and I would like to commend the women for their bravery in coming forward during the investigation. Their information was crucial in helping us build the case against him, and I hope this outcome provides them with some sense of closure.
“If anyone is experiencing, or has experienced domestic abuse, please do not hesitate to contact us directly or through one of our partner agencies.”
Two men aged 35 and 41 years have been arrested and charged in connection with an attempted murder which took place in Pennywell Gardens at around 9.15pm on Monday (20 May, 2024).
They are due to appear at Edinburgh Sheriff Court today – Thursday, 23 May, 2024, and a report will be submitted to the Procurator Fiscal.
