Lovers Loan flasher may have hidden in gardens

POLICE have launched a search for a man who exposed himself to a woman on a popular Capital footpath.
Lovers Loan. Picture: Greg MacveanLovers Loan. Picture: Greg Macvean
Lovers Loan. Picture: Greg Macvean

A young woman was approached by the suspect at the end of the Lovers Loan pathway which runs through the Grange area, beside the cemetery. The man “flashed” at the woman before fleeing towards Grange Crescent.

The shocked victim left the path and looked down Grange Loan to look for the man, but the he had disappeared from sight. Officers carried out door-to-door inquiries in a bid to track down the offender after the incident at 7am last Saturday, but have yet to trace him.

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One PC even resorted to running along the route to see whether it would be possible to run down the road and out of view in such a short time, and concluded that it could not be done.

Officers also searched neighbouring gardens in case the suspect was hiding there, and urged residents to call 999 rather than the non-emergency 101 number if there were any suspected sightings.

Police Scotland said the 999 suggestion was due to the sexual nature of the offence, and because there were ongoing efforts to trace the man.

A local resident, who asked not to be named, said the incident happened near the railings at the bottom of Lovers Loan, which is a walled path.

She said: “They [the police] were looking in my front garden. They did a house-to-house, and they said not to ring 101, but to ring 999. One police officer ran from the bottom of the Loan to the bottom of the Crescent to see if he could make it on time.”

Police have since been spotted patrolling the affluent Grange area on bicycles.

A spokesman said: “Police in Edinburgh received a report of an indecent exposure on Lovers Loan at around 7.10am on Saturday, May 30. The suspect is described as a white man in his 30s or 40s, 5ft 6-7inches tall, with short brown hair and a stocky build. He was wearing pale blue jeans, a dark jumper with three horizontal yellow or gold stripes, and a black leather jacket.

“He was last seen on Grange Loan heading in the direction of Grange Crescent and officers conducted extensive enquiries in the local area as part of their efforts to trace him.

“Anyone who has any information is asked to contact Police Scotland on 101 or contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.”

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