Cyclist assaults female driver who stopped to help

A WOMAN driver was repeatedly punched in the face by a cyclist after fearing that she had collided with his bike and stopping to help.

The 29-year-old had been driving a red Volkswagen Golf on the westbound carriageway of the A8, near the Royal Bank of Scotland bridge at Gogarburn, at about 5.15pm on Thursday afternoon.

Fearing she may have struck a cyclist, she stopped at the side of the road and got out of her car, at which point the man punched her repeatedly in the face before cycling off.

The woman went to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary for treatment having suffered a perforated eardrum.

The cyclist is described as being white, between 30 to 35 years old, with an athletic build. He was wearing dark or purple lycra leggings with neon flashes on the side, and a black and grey helmet, riding a hybrid type bike.