Police are appealing for the help of the public after a teenage boy was sexually assaulted in The Meadows.
The incident happened around 4.30pm on Friday (15 April) in the public toilets at the east side of The Meadows near Hope Park Terrace.
A 14-year-old boy was approached by a man and sexually assaulted. A member of the public entered the toilets and the man left and walked off towards the crossroads at Hope Park Terrace.
The suspect is described as white, around 5ft 6ins, of slim build, with white stubble and aged around 70-years-old. He was wearing a dark jacket and trousers and a flat cap. He also used a walking stick.
Detective Inspector Grant Paterson said: “This attack has left the teenage boy exceptionally upset. We have officers on patrol in the area and if anyone has any concerns please speak to them or call us.
“This part of The Meadows would have been busy and I am asking anyone who saw this man or who may know who he is to get in touch.
“In particular, I am asking the member of the public who walked into the toilets as this was happening to get in touch. You may have information that is vital to our enquiries.”
Anyone who can help is asked to contact Police Scotland on 101, quoting incident number 2466 of Friday, 15 April. Or make a call anonymously to the charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111
A marketing campaign has been launched to ensure people know about a dedicated national NHS service that offers choices in healthcare, forensic examination and support after a rape or sexual assault.
The national service, which is to be implemented across all health boards, will allow those aged 16 and over to self-refer for a forensic health examination at a Sexual Assault Response Coordination Service (SARCS), whether or not they wish to report to the police.
Funding of £11.7 million has been invested by the Scottish Government alongside the unanimous passing of Forensic Medical Services Act 2021 by Parliament. This money has gone towards creating healthcare facilities for examinations across all health boards, to recruit more specialist staff and set up a single point of contact for self-referral through NHS 24.
The campaign which will run across digital channels and outdoor advertising sites encourages people who have experienced a sexual crime to visit the NHS Inform website for information to help them decide the best next step for them.
Chief Medical Officer, Professor Sir Gregor Smith said: “It is very important that everyone knows about this service and while I hope that people will never need to use it, for those that do, knowing where to turn for support and information is a vital part of giving them back control.
“This legislation marks an important step in ensuring that those who have experienced a sexual assault have access to healthcare and support, even if they don’t feel ready to report it to the police.
“The campaign will be running over the next few months to raise awareness of the Sexual Assault Response Coordination Service (SARCS), to help improve the experience of those who have suffered a sexual crime.”
Jennifer Wilson, Nurse Director for NHS Ayrshire & Arran added: “Improving healthcare services for victims of sexual offences is a priority for NHS Ayrshire & Arran.
“We are committed to the Taskforce vision of consistent, person-centred, trauma-informed healthcare and forensic medical services and access to recovery, for anyone who has experienced rape or sexual assault in Scotland.
“With the launch of the FMS Act and the National Self-Referral Service we can now offer local services to victims of sexual assault who require a Forensic Medical Examination (FME) and who do not wish to, or are not yet ready to report this to the Police.
“This is a vital part of improving services for victims of sexual assault and making sure that timely healthcare support, including a forensic medical examination, is available to victims of rape and sexual assault in a way that is sensitive, compassionate and reduces the risk of any re-traumatisation.”
Sandy Brindley, Chief Executive of Rape Crisis Scotland said: “This is a huge step forward in improving responses to rape in Scotland. Immediately following rape or sexual assault can be a really difficult time to make a decision about whether to report what has happened to the police, but there are time limits involved in being able to capture forensic evidence.
“Self-referral means that if someone doesn’t feel ready to make the decision about reporting they can ensure all the evidence is captured and make the decision when they are ready.”
A Glasgow charity that supports vulnerable young women has received a £2,000 donation from Amazon Development Centre Scotland in Edinburgh.
SAY Women offers safe, semi-supported accommodation and emotional support for young women aged 16 to 25 who are survivors of sexual abuse, rape or sexual assault. The charity also supports women who are homeless or threatened with homelessness.
The charity allocates tenants a key worker who provides practical and emotional support through a care plan system. This donation will go towards a winter package for young women with some fuel and food vouchers.
Amazon previously supported the charity with a donation earlier this year.
Graeme Smith, Managing Director at Amazon Development Centre Scotland, said: “SAY Women is a great charity offering vital services in to the Glasgow community.
“The staff and volunteers go that extra mile to ensure the safety of young women and we hope this donation will help the charity continue its services.”
Pam Hunter, CEO at SAY Women, said: “I would like to thank Graeme and the team for their continued support this year.
“It’s been a particularly difficult time for vulnerable women, so our services are needed more than ever. Thank you, Amazon.”
Kaukab Stewart, Member of the Scottish Parliament for Glasgow Kelvin, added: “I welcome this donation to SAY Women. As winter will be soon upon us, Amazon’s efforts will make a significant contribution to lifeline services for sexually-abused young women facing homelessness.
“I urge other corporations to join Amazon in supporting SAY Women.”
Amazon Development Centre Scotland has been based in Edinburgh since 2004 and is responsible for devising and growing innovations that bring new levels of choice and convenience to hundreds of millions of customers around the world.
It houses teams of leading engineers, scientists, designers and product managers who work on everything from interactive user interface design to large-scale distributed systems and machine learning.
Community donations are one of a number of ways in which Amazon is supporting communities across the UK during COVID-19.
Throughout the pandemic Amazon has provided disadvantaged students with free online STEM resources and supported virtual classrooms with no-cost resources from AWS and Amazon Future Engineer.
The company has also teamed up with charity partner Magic Breakfast to deliver more than four million healthy breakfasts to children at risk of hunger in disadvantaged areas around the UK.
Police are looking for ‘the person you least suspect’ after linking two attacks on young women in the South West of Edinburgh over five years ago.
On Thursday, 27 August, 2015, a 19-year-old woman got off a bus in Lanark Road West shortly after midnight.
A man approached her in the Newmills Road area and claimed he had a knife. He then led her to a nearby field, where she was raped.
Just over three weeks before on Wednesday, 5 August, 2015, a 21-year-old woman was grabbed from behind and sexually assaulted in Craiglockhart Quadrant.
She got off a bus in Colinton Road shortly before the attack around 10.30pm. The man responsible had not been on either bus.
DNA advancements have enabled investigators to establish that both attacks were carried out by the same person. Police have a full DNA profile for the man responsible but need the public’s help to find him.
Detectives are asking people to think back to August, 2015. At that time, Edinburgh’s Festival Fringe was taking place. The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo’s theme was East Meets West and marked the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Britain.
Detective Inspector Jon Pleasance of Edinburgh Police Division said: “We believe we’re looking for the person you’d least suspect; someone whose community wouldn’t think is responsible for such horrific offences.
“We’re asking everyone, please think back to the summer of 2015. Was there someone in your life – a friend, family member or colleague – acting different? Was their behaviour around this time at all unusual for them?
“Don’t dismiss your concerns, no matter how small they seem. We have a full DNA profile of the person responsible and so can quickly and completely rule people out. Help us find who did this.”
Those with information can contact Police Scotland via 101 quoting incident number 0770 of 1 March, 2021, or pass tips anonymously to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
Police are appealing for information after a 17-year-old girl was sexually assaulted in the Corstorphine area.
The incident happened at around 6.40pm on Saturday (7 November). She was walking from the direction of the Tesco Extra store at Corstorphine and turned onto Broomhall Road at a convenience store and hair salon.
She was aware of a man following her along Broomhall Road. As she approached the junction of Broomhall Road and Broomhall Loan, she was approached from behind by the man, who asked her for the time.
He then assaulted her before running off along Broomhall Road towards Meadow Place Road.
He is described as white, around 30 to 40-years-old with short black hair and fair eyebrows. He was wearing a black mask and a black padded jacket.
Detective Sergeant Mark Seymour said: “We are appealing to anyone who was in the area both before and after this incident who may have seen this man or know who he is. In particular we are asking anyone with dash-cam footage or private CCTV that may have picked up anything suspicious to get in touch.
“Anyone who can help is asked to contact Police Scotland on 101, quoting incident number 1676 of Sunday, 8 November, 2020, or make a call anonymously to the charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
