Man arrested over Merchiston murder

A 20-year-old man has been arrested in connection with the death of a university lecturer at his Edinburgh home.

The body of Roger Gray, 64, was discovered in the hallway of his property in the upmarket Merchiston area on Saturday morning.

Officers were called to the house by the gas board, who had been alerted to the smell of gas coming from the building.

Lothian and Borders Police said a man aged 20 had been arrested in connection with the death of Mr Gray, who was employed as a senior lecturer in mathematics and statistics by Heriot-Watt University.

He retired from full-time work around four years ago, but still taught part-time at the institution.

Police yesterday acted to calm fears in Edinburgh's gay community after the murder investigation was launched into the third homosexual death in a month.

A post-mortem examination yesterday revealed that Mr Gray had suffered multiple stab wounds in what was described as a "sustained attack".

Detectives last night said there was nothing indicating a link between the three men who died, but added that they were keeping an open mind.

Mr Gray was last seen alive by a neighbour on Friday afternoon.

However, there were reports of a disturbance inside his flat at 10pm that night.