Two hurt in brutal gang assault

A MAN suffered a fractured jaw and his friend sustained injuries to his face after being attacked by a gang of five men beside Edinburgh College of Art.

The 39-year-old victim was assaulted in Lauriston Place at about 3am yesterday as he passed the college with his 38-year-old friend and another man.

The trio were approached by the group of men before an argument broke out.

The two victims were taken to the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary for treatment, while the third man escaped injury.

All of the suspects are described as being white, in their mid-20s, with local accents.

A police spokesman said: "This was an unprovoked assault that resulted in one of the victims sustaining a serious injury. We are keen to speak to anyone who was in the area of Lauriston Place in the early hours of Thursday morning and who saw what happened to contact us immediately.

"In particular, there were a number of passing motorists who are likely to have witnessed the assault and we are keen to speak to them as soon as possible."