Tag: Crime

Police appeal following attempted robbery in city centre

Police are appealing for information following an attempted robbery in the city centre. The incident happened around 4.15pm on Saturday, 3 December, on Mound Place.

A 44-year-old man was on his KTM motorbike travelling on Mound Place towards Princes Street stopped in traffic next to a stationary Lothian Bus when he was knocked off by a man.

The suspect tried to take the motorbike but an unknown member of the public came to the aid of the motorcyclist. The suspect then made off with three other males who had come from the direction of the galleries on the Mound.

The motorcyclist was not injured. Officers are keen to trace the suspects, the member of the public who helped at the scene, and anyone either on the bus or passing by who may have seen what happened.

The first suspect, who attempted to steal the motorbike, is described as aged around 16 to 20, around 5ft 9ins and of slim build. He was wearing a black and grey Nike hoodie, dark grey joggers, black Nike trainers and a black balaclava.

The second suspect is also described as aged 16 to 20, around 5ft 7ins, and of slim build. He was wearing similar clothes to the first suspect with white trainers and a balaclava.

The third suspect is described as around 10-years-old, around 5ft and of slim build with blonde, mousey brown hair. He was wearing a light grey track suit.

The fourth suspect is described as 16 to 20-years-old, around 5ft 9ins and stockier than the others. He was wearing a red and blue puffer style jacket, light grey joggers and no socks.

Detective Inspector Kevin Tait said: “Fortunately no one was injured but this was a dangerous and foolhardy act in busy traffic in an area at a time of day when a lot of people were around.

“We are keen to trace the member of the public who helped the motorcyclist as they are likely to have vital information that could assist with our investigation.

“We are asking anyone in the area at the time which was busy with people shopping, travelling and going to the Christmas market to get in touch if they saw what happened or saw the suspects before or after the incident.

“Likewise, anyone who was on the stationary bus who can help is also asked to contact us.”

Anyone who can help should contact Police Scotland on 101, quoting incident number 2424 of Saturday, 3 December, 2022, or make a call anonymously to the charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Drylaw housebreaker appears in court

On Wednesday, 30 November, officers from Musselburgh and Edinburgh carried out a pre-planned operation in the Drylaw area of Edinburgh, resulting in the arrest of a 16-year-old male youth.

He was charged with a number of offences, including a series of housebreakings, theft of motor vehicles and drug offences.

The offences took place across East Lothian, West Lothian, Edinburgh and Falkirk areas between September and November 2022.

He was due to appear at Edinburgh Sheriff Court yesterday (Thursday, 1 December).

Detective Inspector Laura White, Lothian and Scottish Borders CID, said “You may be aware of appeals we have issued locally over the past few weeks about housebreakings and thefts of high-performance vehicles.

“We are grateful for the support we have had from members of the public that has assisted us in our investigations. Housebreaking is a particularly upsetting crime for the families involved, and the subsequent misuse of the stolen vehicles on our roads places us in danger.

“We are committed to working together to identify those responsible and bring them to justice as part of our ongoing commitment to tackling acquisitive crime.”

If anyone wishes to report any suspicious activity in the local community to Police, please contact us via 101 or anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Seven youths charged following fireworks offences in Oxgangs

Seven youths aged between 13 and 16 years have been charged in connection with offences including breach of the peace, shoplifting, assault and theft following a disturbance at a shop in Oxgangs Road, Edinburgh on Saturday, 5 November, 2022.

A report will be sent to the relevant authorities.

Chief Inspector Neil Wilson said: “Our investigation into incidents of disorder on Bonfire Night is ongoing. Officers are continuing to carry out extensive enquiries, including a wide-ranging review of CCTV footage from throughout the city, to identify those involved and ensure that they are brought to justice.

“I would appeal to anyone with information that may assist our enquiries to contact officers through 101. Alternatively Crimestoppers can be contacted on 0800 555 111, where anonymity can be maintained.”

Transport Convener condemns anti-social behaviour on city’s buses

The city council’s Transport and Environment Convener has condemned anti-social behaviour towards Lothian Buses employees.

Councillor Scott Arthur’s comments follow an open letter from Sarah Boyd, managing director of Lothian Buses, which acknowledges an increase in abusive behaviour towards drivers and other customer-facing people, as well as frontline workers around the city. 

Councillor Scott Arthur, Transport and Environment Convener, responded to Sarah Boyd’s letter, saying: “It’s extremely disappointing to hear that Lothian Buses’ employees are having to endure abusive and anti-social behaviour.

“These keyworkers work hard to provide a trusted, essential service for the city and it’s appalling that they’re having to put up with this kind of treatment. 
 
“We’ve pulled through an exceptionally challenging few years together, as a city, and I’m grateful for the indispensable role Lothian Buses played during the pandemic. We should not forget that drivers faced unknown risks everyday getting keyworkers to work.
 
“The current Europe-wide driver shortage means all bus companies face huge challenges in maintaining their network, but I know the vast majority of people in Edinburgh understand this and will continue to support Lothian Buses by reinforcing a zero tolerance stance on anti-social behaviour.”

Visit Lothian Buses website for information on services.

Poppy wreaths vandalised at City Chambers: Briggs speaks out

Miles Briggs MSP commented: “This mindless act of vandalism is an absolutely appalling insult towards our fallen war heroes.

“It is totally disgraceful that less than 24 hours after typically poignant Remembrance Sunday services in the capital that moronic idiots would engage in burning tributes laid for our soldiers.

“It is a show of total disrespect towards those who gave the ultimate sacrifice for our country.

“Sadly attacks on war memorials like this are on the increase in Scotland, which is why the Scottish Conservatives are bringing forward plans to impose tougher penalties on those who attack war memorials to ensure they are protected for future generations.”

Four jailed for human trafficking

Four people were jailed for trafficking offences at the High Court in Glasgow yesterday.

Jagpal Singh (52) was sentenced to 10 years, Donglin Zhang (48) was sentenced to 8 years, Vlassis Ntaoulias (33) was sentenced to 7 years and Boonsong Wannas (62) was sentenced to six years and four months.

All four were previously convicted of human trafficking and brothel keeping offences.

Detective Superintendent Donna Duffy, in charge of Glasgow’s Human Trafficking Unit said: “I welcome the sentencing today. Human trafficking is a despicable crime that has an unmeasurable long term impact on its victims.

“We are committed to working alongside partners to tackle human trafficking and we will work to identify those responsible and protect their victims.

“I would like to thank all our partners including Home Office Immigration Enforcement Criminal and Financial Investigations.

“I would continue to encourage members of the community to contact us if they have any concerns as they are vital to helping us identify those involved.”

Police seek man following Murrayburn Place assault

Police Scotland has released an image of a man they believe may hold information which might assist in relation to an assault in Edinburgh.

The incident happened at around 11.30pm on Tuesday, 18 October, 2022, at Murrayburn Place.

The man (pictured below) is described as 16 to 18-years-old, around 6ft, and was wearing a grey-coloured top, jogging bottoms, sunglasses and black gloves.

One man aged 22 has been charged in connection with the incident.

Detective Sergeant Todd Rutherford said: “I would urge the man or anyone who knows who he is to get in touch with us.

“Anyone with any information is asked to call Police Scotland on 101, quoting incident number 3811 of Tuesday, 18 October, 2022, or make a call anonymously to the charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”

UPDATE

A 17-year-old male youth has been arrested and charged in connection with an assault in Edinburgh on Tuesday, 18 October, 2022.

The incident happened on Murrayburn Place around 11.30pm.

He appeared at Edinburgh Sheriff Court on Thursday, 3 November, 2022.

A 22-year-old man was also charged in connection with the incident. He appeared at Edinburgh Sheriff Court on Monday, 24 October, 2022.

Community safety: Dispersal Zones in place for fireworks weekend

Don’t get caught up in anti-social behaviour on Bonfire Night!

Police Officers have the grounds to take action should people be involved in such conduct, as detailed in these posters.

Please attend organised events only and always keep safe.

🔥

#OpCrackle

#KeepingPeopleSafe

Firefighters attacked last Bonfire Night urge people to go to organised displays

Firefighters who were pelted with stones and bricks at a Bonfire Night incident last year have urged people to go to organised displays.

Cumbernauld Community Fire Station’s Blue Watch was mobilised by Operations Control at 4.49pm on Friday, 5 November, 2021 to reports of a bonfire in the open in a grassy area near the North Lanarkshire town’s Torbrex Road.

What happened next took Crew Commander Glen Reid and his colleagues by surprise.

He said: “Once we arrived we had to extinguish the fire because of a gas leak in the area. I explained this to the bystanders and as soon as we started to put water on the fire we were pelted with bricks and stones.

https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/HWF_1d3kGCc

“We had to retreat back to the fire appliance where the vehicle then came under attack. We realised that we couldn’t get out the street because it had been blocked off with wheelie bins. Police attended the scene and the youths ran away.”

Three firefighters sustained minor injuries during the incident. Two attended hospital and were discharged the same evening. There was also surface damage to the appliance.

CC Reid, who has worked for the Service for more than two decades, added: “We couldn’t actually believe it to be honest with you.

“Someone could’ve been seriously hurt and this kind of behaviour puts an added strain on emergency services. As we get closer to Bonfire Night this year we’d urge people to always go to an organised event.”

Bonfire Night is one of the busiest nights of the year for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service. In 2021, there were eight reported attacks on crews along with the three injuries.

Figures also indicate that firefighters responded to more than 370 bonfires across the country during an eight-hour period on 5 November.

In the weeks leading up to Bonfire Night, between 8 October and 5 November, crews around Scotland also attended more than 880 deliberate secondary fires, including bin fires and grass fires.

Deputy Assistant Chief Officer Alasdair Perry is the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service’s head of prevention and protection. He said: “Attacks on our firefighters are completely unacceptable and are carried out by a small minority.”

We know that our crews have a lot of support within our communities. We want people to enjoy themselves at times of celebration but we want them to do so safely and think of others, including our crews who are working hard to respond to emergencies.

“Bonfires and fireworks go hand in hand at this time of year, and we advise people to go to an organised event wherever possible and always follow the Fireworks Code.”

See a list of organised events taking place across Scotland in our fireworks and bonfire safety section of our website.

Glasgow Bounce Black Loan fraudster disqualified as company director

Brendan Michael Gaughan, 40, from Glasgow has been disqualified as a director for 12 years, after using his companies to take out Bounce Back Loans totalling £135,000 that the companies were not eligible for.

Gaughan was director of three separate property management companies, Gaughan Group Ltd, Gaughan Property Ltd, and Rentl Property Ltd. They were only incorporated in February 2020 and did no business until April 2020.

As a result, they were not eligible for funds through the Bounce Back Loan (BBL) scheme, which was available only to firms that had been doing business on 1 March 2020.

However in May 2020, Gaughan Group received a BBL of £50,000, Gaughan Property received a BBL also of £50,000, and Rentl Property Ltd received a BBL of £35,000.

Gaughan transferred all the funds into a single account and proceeded to use the money to buy a property worth nearly £160,000 in August 2020. He then sold the property in March 2021 for just over £140,000, and on the same day transferred £100,000 of the proceeds to his personal account.

All three companies were put into liquidation on 11 October 2021, which triggered an investigation by the Insolvency Service.

The Secretary of State accepted disqualification undertakings from Brendan Michael Gaughan, after he did not dispute that none of his companies had been eligible for Bounce Back Loans.

He has been banned for 12 years, effective from 27 October 2022.

The disqualification undertakings prevent him from directly, or indirectly, becoming involved in the promotion, formation or management of a company, without the permission of the court.

Steven McGinty, Investigation Manager at the Insolvency Service said: “Bounce Back Loans were made available for trading companies adversely affected by the pandemic.

“Brendan Gaughan should have known his companies weren’t entitled to the loans yet he took them anyway and used the funds for personal gain.

“We will not hesitate to take action against directors who have abused Covid-19 financial support like this.”

Brendan Michael Gaughan is of Glasgow and his date of birth is November 1982.

Gaughan Group Ltd – SC655799

Gaughan Property Ltd – SC655896

Rentl Property Ltd – SC655897

Disqualification undertakings are the administrative equivalent of a disqualification order but do not involve court proceedings.

Persons subject to a disqualification order are bound by a range of other restrictions.

Information about the work of the Insolvency Service, and how to complain about financial misconduct.