Man had three knives held at him in Southside robbery

A MAN had three knives held at him by a gang in a terrifying late-night robbery in the Southside.

Sciennes Road. Picture: Malcolm McCurrach

The 26-year-old victim had been walking alone in Sciennes Road at around 2am yesterday when he was approached by three “skinny” teenagers.

The trio brandished knives at the man before robbing him of the contents from his bag.

Detectives are calling for any witnesses to the attack to come forward immediately.

The incident took place less than a week after a string of muggings in the city centre as the Festival got under way.

Detective Inspector John Kavanagh said: “The victim wasn’t injured during this incident, but was understandably shaken and upset at the theft of his belongings.

“Anyone who remembers seeing any suspicious activity in or around Sciennes Road in the early hours of Friday morning should contact police immediately.

“Similarly, anyone with information that can help us identify the suspects is also asked to get in touch.”

All three suspects are described as being between 16 and 18 years old and skinny.

They were wearing black hoodies pulled up and covering the lower half of their faces.

Police also confirmed six people have been arrested and charged in connection with a spate of robberies earlier this month.

Three young men – aged 15, 22 and 24 – were detained following three muggings in Blackfriars Street, Market Street and Montrose Terrace in the early hours of Sunday.

Three male victims, aged 38, 22 and 20, were assaulted and their mobile phones and wallets were robbed. They will appear at Edinburgh Sheriff Court on Monday.

Detectives had also been investigating another three robberies, which took place in Restalrig Road, Drumsheugh Gardens and Harrison Park, between Wednesday and Thursday.

Inquiries revealed that all three incidents were linked and a further three men were arrested, aged 16, 18 and 21.

The trio will also appear in court on Monday.

Detective Inspector Grant Johnston said: “Each of these offences resulted in the victims either being threatened or assaulted and robbed of their property.

“As a result of speedy inquiries carried out by a team of officers, six men are now in custody and I would like to thank the public for their assistance.

“We will continue to investigate any incident of this nature as a priority to quickly bring the offenders to justice.”

Officers have been carrying out additional patrols in the city centre as part of the annual festivals policing operation.

Despite the robberies, senior police have otherwise hailed the start of the August festivities as “fantastic”.

Police in the city are determined to catch anyone responsible for street robberies and plain-clothed officers are attending festival events to crackdown on the problem.

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