Man seriously injured in attack dies six weeks on

A MAN has died in hospital six weeks after being assaulted in his Fountainbridge flat.

• Upper Grove Place

Detectives are probing whether the death of Mark Cochrane, 37, is linked to the attack which saw him suffer serious facial injuries.

Mr Cochrane, who worked as a poultry processor, died at the ERI on Wednesday, March 30, with the cause of death listed as "multiple organ failure (pending investigation)". He had been seriously injured in an attack at his home in Upper Grove Place on Friday, February 18, but did not seek medical help for nine days.

It is understood that after he was assaulted in his fourth-floor flat, Mr Cochrane went around the corner from his flat to Grove Street, where a vehicle stopped and its driver offered assistance.

Police are keen to trace the driver of the vehicle in a bid to learn more about what happened during the incident.

Neighbours of Mr Cochrane, who was originally from the Falkirk area, today paid tribute to him, describing him as a "pleasant person" who would run errands for elderly people in the area.

But others said his flat, where he is understood to have lived with his girlfriend, was at the centre of loud arguments and other antisocial behaviour. Notices put up by a resident in the common staircase read: "Absolutely no loitering in this stair. Anyone found loitering will be reported to the authorities."

A neighbour said: "There was always a lot of noisy rows and commotion in the common stair. People would come to the front door at 2am or 3am looking for Mark or his girlfriend, sometimes kicking it in.

"The council had given people diaries to record noise and antisocial behaviour. I think they might have been evicted eventually. Mark and his girlfriend had a young baby. They must have lived there for a year or two before this happened."

Detectives have made a number of visits to the tenement block to interview neighbours, while Mr Cochrane's flat has been sealed with a metal door since his death. Detective Sergeant Colin Chalmers said: "We are seeking to trace the driver who stopped to help Mr Cochrane following the incident in Upper Grove Place, as we are seeking to establish exactly what happened as a result of that incident.

"We are appealing directly to that driver to come forward as they may have information which could prove vital to the investigation.

"Anyone who was in the area at the time, or who may have seen a man with bad facial injuries in the street, should contact police as a matter of urgency.

"Unfortunately we don't have a description of the car or the driver at the moment. The alleged assault took place at around 7pm and it's quite possible that the driver stopped to help Mr Cochrane some time up to around 8pm."

DS Chalmers, who is based at Dalkeith police station's CID unit, said a post-mortem had been carried out but added that it was "too early to say" whether the alleged assault was connected to his death, but the potential link formed a "major part of the inquiry".

He said: "Mr Cochrane did not seek medical attention until February 27. From speaking to witnesses, he had suffered severe facial injuries which had caused his face to swell to the point where he was unrecognisable.

"We are trying to trace his movements from the time of the alleged assault until he went to the hospital."

A 29-year-old man has been charged in connection with an assault on Mr Cochrane and appeared at Edinburgh Sheriff Court last Friday. He was charged with assault to the endangerment of life.