Police in Edinburgh are appealing for witnesses after two men were seriously assaulted in the city centre over the weekend. The incident happened 12.20am on Saturday 14th September in Picardy Place.
A 26-year-old had just left the Planet Out venue and passed the Tesco store when he turned and saw that his 27-year-old friend, who he had been drinking with that evening, was lying on the ground.
After going to his aid, the victim was struck to the face by a male, who made a homophobic remark before carrying out the assault.
The male then left the area in the company of a female and both headed towards Leith Walk
Officers are treating this as a hate crime and are keen to speak with anyone who can assist with their enquiries.
The suspect is described as white, 20-25-years-old, 5ft 8ins tall with a slim build and long ear-length blond hair. He was wearing a dark blue top, light jeans and possibly spoke with a Fife accent.
Detective Sergeant Andy MacMillan said: “This has been a random and unprovoked attack, which left one of the victims with a painful injury to his eye that required medical attention.
“Given the comments heard by the other victim, we are treating this as a homophobic assault and would urge anyone who remembers seeing anything suspicious in Picardy Place in the early hours of Saturday morning to contact police immediately.
“Similarly, anyone who recognises the description of the suspect, or who has any other information relevant to this investigation, is also asked to come forward.”
Those with information can contact Police Scotland on 101 or alternatively, the charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
John graduated from Telford College in 2010 with an HNC in Practical Journalism and since then he worked for the North Edinburgh News, The Southern Reporter, the Irish News Review and The Edinburgh Reporter. In addition he has been published in the Edinburgh Evening News and the Hibernian FC Programme.
