Man assaulted and locked in his own flat by assailant

AN INJURED man was forced to throw objects on to the street to alert passers-by after his attacker locked him in a flat in the Capital before making off.

The victim, who has not been named, was left bleeding on the floor and unable to get out after the incident in Giles Street, Leith, yesterday morning.

Forced to smash his own windows and throw objects into the street, he eventually caught the attention of a passer-by who called the police.

They had to break the door down, and ambulance crews then treated the man's injuries, which were described as serious but not life threatening.

A police spokesman said: "Lothian and Borders Police are investigating following a serious assault on a 46-year-old man in Edinburgh. The incident happened around 10am yesterday in Giles Street."

A spokeswoman for the Scottish Ambulance Service said they received a call from the police about a man "bleeding heavily" inside a locked flat.

When they arrived both of the flat windows had been smashed, and the front door had been kicked through.

One passer-by, who asked not to be named, said: "I looked up and saw something flying out of the window, and a guy saying he was locked in the flat and need help so I phoned the police.

"I saw him being carried out by the ambulance and he was in a pretty bad way. He looked pretty upset."

The attacker is currently on the run, and police are appealing for anyone with information that can assist with their enquiries to contact them immediately.

Neighbour Dennis Falconer, whose upstairs bedroom backs onto the victim's flat, said: "They were putting on quite a performance until about three in the morning, and then it went quiet for a bit.

"They started up again about 9am and then we heard this crash, but we thought it was just people throwing bottles outside.

"It's quite a regular occurrence around here, although usually at the weekends. Those Tollbooth Wynd flats (which overlook Giles Street] are teeming with junkies and they're forever throwing bottles out the window and on to the street.

"They've only been there a week so I've only seen them once, carrying a crate of beer up the stairs.

"They've hardly stopped shouting at each other since they moved in. You can't make out anything specific just general shouting and bawling.

"It's a shame because the council spent thousands doing that flat up and now they've gone and wrecked it."

Ironically, the tenants of the Giles Street block had a meeting at Kirkgate Community Centre the previous night.

A notice on the main door read: "Worried about drug dealers? Hear from our local police officer about crime prevention in the area.

"Talk to your neighbours, have a cup of tea and a cake. Please come to the meeting and share your views."

A spokeswoman for Edinburgh Council confirmed that the block contains two private tenants, and five council houses. She added that the council had no involvement in the meeting at the Kirkgate Centre on Thursday night.

[email protected]