Police Scotland – Page 224 – The NEN

Baby death: Police appeal for information

Police investigating the discovery of the remains of a baby in East Edinburgh are appealing to the public for information that can assist their inquiries.

The remains were discovered in undergrowth around 5pm on Sunday (July 29), by a member of the public who was walking his dog on Restalrig Path, near Seafield Cemetery.

Inquiries are underway in order to identify the remains and establish how they came to be located in the area, which has been cordoned off while forensic and other inquiries take place at the scene. Officers are also carrying out inquiries in the local community to gather further information.

Detective Chief Inspector David McLaren said: “Our investigation to establish the identity of the baby and how it came to be on Restalrig Path is at a very early stage.

“However regardless of the circumstances surrounding this baby’s death there is clearly a mother out there who may be in need of either medical attention or emotional support.

“Our priority at this time is to locate her and provide her with all the help and support we can. If the mother reads this appeal then I would urge her to get in touch, and I want to reassure her that we have her welfare at heart.

“In addition, I would urge anyone who has used Restalrig Path in the last few days or weeks, who has seen something suspicious or unusual that may assist our investigation, to contact us.”

Anyone with information should contact Police Scotland on 101, or make an anonymous report through Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

‘Body cams’ introduced to fight hate crime

Police in Edinburgh have begun issuing body cameras to victims of hate crime in the north of the Capital. The scheme is being rolled out in North Edinburgh with a view to a wider rollout across the city.

The mini ‘body cams’, which are capable of recording incidents at a touch of a button, will be offered to local shop staff who have been experienced a significant or repeat incident.

The initiative has been designed to support staff by supplementing their existing CCTV and security measures.

Inspector Mark Rennie, of Drylaw Police Station said, “We often find that store security guards and shop staff receive racist abuse when they challenge shoplifters or refuse purchases.

“It’s totally unwarranted and unacceptable, and these cameras are intended to provide reassurance to staff who have experienced such an incident, by offering a deterrent and helping to assist police collect evidence to identify offenders.

“This will increase our opportunities to arrest those responsible, take appropriate action to put them before the courts, and prevent them from being able to use the shop in the future.

“Although the devices are discreet, they are small enough to be worn on the body to ensure that vulnerable staff have access to the recording facility at all times and in areas of their premises that previously would not have been covered by their own CCTV.”

Foysol Choudhury, MBE, Chair of Edinburgh and Lothian Regional Equality Council, said: “We welcome the initiative of Police Scotland of making small body cameras available, which will help safeguard and protect persons vulnerable to hate crimes.

“We also believe that it would make local business owners and employees confident to conduct their business as well as report instances of hate crime.

“As a lot of people are not aware of processes about reporting hate crimes, the body cameras will make them confident about garnering evidence of such crimes. We hope that this step will increase rates of reporting of hate crimes.”

Foreign student assaults: three charged

Local police confirmed this afternoon that three youths have been charged with assault following last week’s incident near Muirhouse Millennium Centre.

Visiting students attacked in Muirhouse

A group of overseas students have been attacked and robbed in Muirhouse. The incident happened outside the Millennium Centre on Muirhouse Medway on Wednesday night.

A dozen foreign exchange students were confronted by a gang of 15-20 local youths, both males and females, aged from nine or ten up to 18 years of age. Two of the students were assaulted and robbed and another two students received minor injuries.

A Police Scotland spokesman said the attack took place at about 22:00 on Wednesday and added: “This was an unprovoked attack on a group of foreign students who are currently staying with host families in Edinburgh. Inquiries are continuing and we are determined to find those responsible for this attack. Additional high-visibility police patrols are in the area and anyone with any information is asked to contact us.”

Police reinforce drugs warning following teenager death

Officers from Police Scotland are reinforcing a drugs warning following the death of an 18 year-old woman in Alexandria in the early hours of Tuesday morning (9 July).

An investigation is underway and our enquiries have so far revealed that the woman, along with three friends, had taken what they thought were ecstasy tablets. The tablets were described as green with a Rolex crown logo stamped on them. This is clearly a cause for concern.

Three men, aged 18, 21 and 25 have been admitted to the Royal Alexandra Hospital. The 18 year-old and 21 year old have since been discharged, however the 25 year old man remains within the hospital.

Superintendent Grahame Clarke said: “Our priority is to ensure the safety and well-being of our communities. Public warnings have been issued recently in relation to the dangers of taking ecstasy, or indeed tablets being passed off as ecstasy. They are illegal and could contain a cocktail of toxic ingredients. We have yet to establish if this particular pill is to blame for the death of this young woman, but the fact that she and her friends took pills described as green and with a Rolex stamp on it causes us real concern.

“The exact contents of the pills are unknown but they could contain dangerous chemicals and users need to be aware of the dangers and understand the devastating effect they can have. Drugs are dangerous and illegal. I would strongly advise people to avoid any such pills or drugs and report any information to police.”

At this time of year there are numerous music festivals, including T in the Park which runs from Friday this week. We would urge people to enjoy the festivals and keep themselves safe. Possession of controlled drugs and supplying anyone else with drugs is illegal. Festivals organisers adopt a zero tolerance approach to illegal drugs and work alongside the police to tackle this criminal activity.

There will be drugs amnesty bins at the entrance to the campsites at T in the Park, where illegal substances can be disposed of without risk of exclusion or prosecution. Once inside the festival venue, drugs will not be tolerated and anyone caught dealing or carrying drugs will be arrested. Police Scotland’s specialist drugs dogs will also be operating at T in the Park.

Police Scotland is continuing work with its NHS partners in connection with this investigation.

Glasgow Royal Infirmary Senior Specialty Doctor in Emergency Medicine, Dr Richard Stevenson said: “We are deeply concerned about the number of drug related deaths. Symptoms to look for include a high temperature, aggression and muscle pains as well as an extreme exaggerated expected effect of the drug such as hallucinations and excitability which would be very alarming and unpleasant to the person experiencing them.

“These symptoms are treatable if help is sought early I would urge anyone who begins to feel unwell or feels a more intense high than usual after taking any drug which they think is ecstasy or not to seek immediate medical help.”

If anyone has any information about the sale or supply of such tablets, please contact police on the non emergency number, 101, or contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 where you can give information anonymously.

Corstorphine Hill murder: man to appear in Court today

Police Scotland have confirmed that a 39 year old man has been arrested and charged in connection with the murder of a woman whose body was was found on Corstorphine Hill on June 6.

He is due to appear at Edinburgh Sheriff Court today.

The woman has been identified as 66 year old Phyllis Dunleavy of Dublin

(photograph from 2010 below).

Witness appeal, North Edinburgh

Police Scotland is appealing for witnesses following a suspicious incident in North Edinburgh.

Two 16-year-old girls were walking north along Telford Drive towards Granton at around 7.20pm on Friday (5 July) when a male approached them as they reached the bridge crossing Crewe Road North. The male engaged the girls in conversation before claiming they owed him money.

Both girls attempted to walk away from the suspect, who continued to follow them demanding money. The victims sought assistance from a young couple pushing a buggy and the male walked off along the walkway.

The suspect is described as white, between 20 and 40-years-old, tall and very skinny with a gaunt face. He was wearing a baseball cap, dark zip up, dark tracksuit bottoms and spoke with a local, but slurred accent.

A male has currently been detained and is assisting officers with their enquiries, but anyone with information relevant to this investigation is asked to come forward.

A Police Scotland spokesman said: “Neither girl knew this male and they were very distressed when he began following them, demanding money. We are keen to speak with anyone who was in or around Crewe Road North on Friday evening and remembers seeing anything suspicious. In particular, we would like to trace the young couple the victims spoke to and would ask them to contact police immediately.”

Those with information can contact Police Scotland on 101 or alternatively, the charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Breakthrough: Corstorphine Hill victim identified

Police Scotland have confirmed that they have established the identity of the woman whose body was discovered on Corstorphine Hill on 6 June, but will not be in a position to name her until next of kin have been informed.

Detective Chief Inspector Keith Hardie from Police Scotland’s Major Investigation Team said: “Identifying the victim was the first priority of this murder investigation and I would like to thank the public and the media for their help in achieving that aim. While this is positive news, it also means that a loved one has been lost. We are progressing our inquiries into the circumstances of this woman’s death and to finding those responsible for it.”

Crewe Road South fatality: man charged

Police have arrested and charged a man in connection with a fatal road collision that happened at the Western General Hospital in Edinburgh last year.

Mary Dawson (81) died as a result of injuries she sustained in a collision with a Skoda Superb car outside the Anne Ferguson Building, around 4pm on December 4.

A 31-year-old man has been arrested and charged, and will appear at Edinburgh Sheriff Court at a later date.

Corstorphine Hill body: facial reconstruction released

Police Scotland detectives investigating the discovery of the dismembered body of a woman found in a shallow grave in Edinburgh have released a visual reconstruction of the woman’s face.

A member of the public came across the body within a wooded area of Corstorphine Hill on Thursday 6 June and a major police investigation has been launched to establish her identity, but despite an excellent response from the public to various appeals for information, the woman’s identity has yet to be established.

Detective Chief Inspector Keith Hardie from Police Scotland’s Major Investigations Team said:

“It is now 25 days since this woman’s body was discovered. In that time we have worked with a range of experts and agencies to help us get more information on who she might be and how she came to be in Edinburgh.

“Today, thanks to the work of facial reconstruction experts at Dundee University, we have released an image of the woman’s face. We are confident that this is a very accurate representation of how the woman looked and so I’m asking the public – does the image resemble someone you know but perhaps haven’t seen or heard from for some time? As I’ve said from the outset, this is someone’s daughter, she could be someone’s mother. Somebody knows who she is and when we’ve established her identity, we’ll have gone a long way to establishing who was responsible for her murder.”

The woman was believed to have been aged between 32 and 60 and had had extensive cosmetic work, in the form of veneers and implants, carried out on her teeth. She was white, slim, of medium build and about 5 feet 2 inches tall.

Those with information can contact Police Scotland on 101 or, alternatively, the charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.