Extensive investigations are continuing into the serious road traffic collision which happened at a pedestrian crossing on Ferry Road in Edinburgh at around 1835 hours on Saturday evening.
Door to door enquiries are continuing and CCTV footage from around the area is being examined in an attempt to identify the driver of the motorcycle that struck the ten year old boy as he crossed the road at the pedestrian crossing, which is situated just east of Drylaw Police Station.
Detective Chief Inspector Paul Grainger who is currently leading the enquiry said “The boy remains in hospital and his condition is now described as stable.
“He is currently undergoing surgery as a result of the injuries he sustained in this collision and it is too early to assess what impact these injuries may have on his life moving forward.
“At this stage we are keen to hear from anyone who may have been in the Ferry Road area last night around the time of the collision, or indeed before or after it.
“We have a number of reports at this stage of dangerous and reckless driving behaviour of motorcyclists in the area in the early evening of Saturday night. At the time the boy was struck, two motorcycles, each with one person on board, appear to have gone through a red light at the pedestrian crossing when the boy was crossing as he should.
“The first motorcycle, a red coloured one was being driven by someone wearing a red and black distinctive ski type jacket and a full face crash helmet which is described as being white with a purple and orange design on it. The second motorcycle, was a white coloured Triumph Daytona 650 cc motorcycle.
“The rider of this machine struck the boy on the crossing, carried on for a short distance before abandoning the machine and running off. The rider is described as wearing a grey coloured hooded top, dark tracksuit bottoms and a white full face helmet with a coloured design on it.
“Both the riders had scarves covering their faces. The abandoned Triumph motorcycle was stolen earlier in Edinburgh.
“This was a terrifying incident which could easily have had fatal consequences and both the boy’s mother and I would urge anybody that has any information to contact the police or Crimestoppers.
“We need the help of the community to catch those responsible for this. This young boy was going about his own business, making a routine crossing of a busy road at what should have been a safe pedestrian crossing when he was mown down by this motorcycle.
“Nobody should be attempting to assist, hide or cover up for the people responsible who have shown a reckless disregard for other people’s safety with terrible consequences.
“Anyone who may have any information which might help us catch those responsible is asked to call police at Edinburgh on the 101 number, quoting reference 3247 of 19 August.Likewise if anyone wishes to pass any information anonymously then they can do this through the Crimestoppers number of 0800 555 111.”
Superintendent Mark Rennie said “This has been a shocking incident which has deeply affected the local community. For over a year now Police Scotland has engaged with a significant range of partners and the City of Edinburgh Council to target offenders and also deal with the root cause of this type of reckless offending and risk taking behaviour.
“Despite that a small minority of offenders continue to steal motorcycles and put themselves and others at risk. I would reassure local residents that patrols are ongoing across the area in this regard, and anyone who has any concerns, or indeed information which they would wish to pass on should talk to our officers.”
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.
