Shocked family pay tribute to scaffolder killed in horror fall

A FAMILY have paid tribute to a scaffolder who fell to his death in Edinburgh at the weekend.

Peter John Brown, 45, of Dalkeith, died after falling from scaffolding at the rear of Waterloo Place on Saturday morning.

Police and medical staff were called to the incident at about 7:30am but Mr Brown, a father of three, was pronounced dead at the scene.

His family today said the death had been a huge shock and paid tribute to Mr Brown, describing him as a generous man with a kind heart.

He had worked as a scaffolder since leaving school, mostly on projects in the UK but also on sites in Germany for a brief spell. It is unclear exactly what he was doing on the site when he fell to his death.

His father-in-law, Samuel Mitchell, said: "It was a real shock to us and his death has obviously affected us all deeply.

"As far as I know, he was working in the city centre when he fell from the scaffolding. It's not too clear what happened but, as far as we are aware, it is just a terrible accident and he died as a result of the fall."

A police spokesman said: "Police were called to Calton Road at around 7:30am on Saturday after a 45-year-old man fell from scaffolding to the rear of Waterloo Place. He was pronounced dead at the scene. There are no suspicious circumstances."

Mr Brown was born in Germany, where his father served at an RAF base, but moved back to Edinburgh when he was young.

He attended Gilmerton Primary School but spent most of his life in Dalkeith, attending high school there before starting a family.

He was the father of three girls – Kerry-Ann, 21, Lisa, 19, and Nicole, 13 – who are now being looked after by their mother.

Mr Brown was also a member of the Dalkeith Kilwinning No 10 Lodge.

Mr Mitchell said his son-in-law would be missed by all who knew him. He said: "All we can say about him is that he was always a generous, kind-hearted man and he always had nice things to say about people.

"He was well liked by everyone he knew and he was very considerate with other people. He was quite a quiet man, almost philosophical at times, and a true friend who will be greatly missed by everyone who knew him."

Mr Brown is survived by parents Bill and Ella, brother Stephen and sister Carol.

A funeral service for Mr Brown will be held at St John's and King's Park Parish Church, Dalkeith, on Friday at 9:30am.