Suspicious death in capital suburb

THE death of a man in an upmarket Edinburgh suburb is being treated as suspicious after his injured body was found by police responding to reports of a gas leak.

Police found the body of the man, believed to be in his 60s, in the hallway of a home in Merchiston Crescent yesterday morning.

Although the cause of death has not been established, police confirmed last night that the body appeared to have sustained injuries before they arrived at the house at 5am.

Detective Chief Inspector Gareth Blair said: "A post-mortem will have to take place before cause of death is established, however the man's body did show signs of injury. In the meantime, we are appealing to anyone who was in the area of Merchiston Crescent overnight from Friday night into Saturday morning, who saw or heard anything suspicious, to contact police immediately."

Police are still waiting for the body to be identified. Blair added: "At the moment a cordon is in place around the property, and forensic examinations are taking place at the scene. Extra uniformed patrols are under way in the area in order to provide reassurance to local residents, and officers are on hand to speak to anyone who has concerns about the ongoing police activity."

Former Foreign Secretary Robin Cook used to live in the street, while author J K Rowling lives in the area.

In 2000, a former history teacher was murdered nearby. Ian Sutherland dismembered the body of Alan Wilson, who he had met in jail whilst the pair were serving sentences for sex offences. He was jailed for life after dumping pieces of Wilson's body in the back garden of Sutherland's Merchiston Avenue flat. Wilson's body was cut into five pieces, which were put in bin bags.