9am Briefing: Man’s jaw broken in homophobic attack

A MAN had his jaw broken in what police are describing as a homophobic attack in Edinburgh.

The incident occurred in the early hours of yesterday morning on Waverley Bridge.

The 24-year-old victim was walking with friends in the area just after midnight when three men confronted them and began shouting anti-gay comments at them.

One of the men punched the victim on the face, causing him to fall to the ground.

They ran off towards Princes Street and the man who was punched was taken to the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary.

Police have issued descriptions of the three men.

One is black, in his early 20s, 5ft 6ins, of medium build and was wearing a black hooded top, a black and yellow scarf and black trousers.

The other two were white, one of tall, slim build, dark blonde hair, about 21 years old and wearing a red top, while the other was aged between 20 and 25, 5ft 7ins, of average build and waring a dark, hooded top.

A police spokesman said: “This was a cowardly and vicious assault and due to the comments made prior to the attack, officers are treating this as homophobic.

“Anyone who was in or around Waverley Bridge about midnight this morning and saw anything suspicious, or who can help identify the suspects is asked to contact police immediately.

“Lothian and Borders Police will not tolerate hate crime in any form and will robustly deal with anyone found to be responsible.”

Anyone with information has been urged to call police on 0131 311 3131 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

* MORE than 200 homes in the Capital have been left without power after a cable fault early this morning. Residents on and around Glendevon Avenue have been affected since around 6am.

ScottishPower said other properties nearby may have experienced “momentary loss of power” while engineers tried to resolve the problem. A spokesman added: “There may have been slightly more than 200 homes affected to start with.”

* A MAN suffered serious leg injuries after he was hit by a motorcycle.

Police are appealing for witnesses after the collision at the junction of Ferry Road and Connaught Place at around 11.30pm last night when a yellow Ducati Monster bike struck a male pedestrian.

He was taken to hospital suffering from his wounds

A police spokesman said: “We are keen to speak to anyone who witnessed this collision or who has any information in relation to it.

Anyone with information should contact Lothian and Borders Police on 0131 311 3131 or they can contact crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.