A 74-year-old man killed by a bus has been named after reports of a ‘severed head’ being found on the street in Edinburgh.
The incident occurred in the Scottish capital in an area called Colgate.
The late pensioner has been named as Michael Leneghen, after he was killed in the horrific accident Saturday night (2 November).
“We would now ask for privacy at this time.”
Police have confirmed that the 74-year-old was hit by a single decker bus while travelling on foot.
The horrific accident occurred on Saturday night (Roy/PA wire)
Sergeant Paul Ewing from the Road Policing Unit in Edinburgh said in a statement: “Our thoughts remain with Michael’s family and friends, as well as everyone affected by this tragic incident.
“Our enquiries remain ongoing. We have already spoken to a number of people who were in the area at the time and work is ongoing to check public and private CCTV footage.
“We are still keen to hear from anyone who has not yet spoken to police. If you have any information about what happened, then please get in touch.
“‘Anyone with information is asked to call the police via 101. Please quote incident number 3395 of Saturday, 2 November 2024.”
The graphic footage has been spread online showing Halloween revellers coming across his head, initially thinking it to be a Halloween decoration.
This has since led to police requesting that people not post the footage on social media.
Police have confirmed he was on foot when he was hit by a bus (PA Wire)
Chief Inspector Trisha Clark, the local area commander, said: “We are aware of videos and images circulating on social media which are causing distress to the deceased’s family and those viewing them inadvertently.
“We would ask members of the public not to share them out of respect for his family, and to report them to the relevant social media platform to prevent further circulation.
“There has been a lot of speculation, and I would like to reassure the local community that this was an isolated incident and there is no risk to the wider public.
“This was a tragic incident. We are investigating a crash, and our road policing officers, assisted by local officers, are continuing to carry out enquiries.
“Anyone with concerns or any information which could assist the investigation should contact police.”
Police have since asked the public to stop sharing distressing photos and videos on social media, ‘which are causing distress to the deceased’s family’.
The 74-year-old was hit by a single-decker bus in the Cowgate area at around 7.25pm on Saturday (2 November), Police Scotland has said.
A man, 74, in Edinburgh was fatally struck by a bus, police has said (PA wire)
People in the surrounding area were asked to leave as the roads were closed off for forensic officers attending the scene.
The roads have since re-opened after police said ‘there is no risk to the wider public’.
BBC Scotland News reporter, James Delaney, said: “Inside were two forensic tents, probably about 100m apart.
“The Cowgate is usually jumping on a Saturday night, but the bars and pubs inside the cordon had been closed.
“We saw about a dozen or so people in white forensic suits, and there were a few guys in suits too who I assume were detectives.”
Sergeant Louise Birrell, of the Road Policing Unit, Edinburgh, added: “Our thoughts are with the family and friends of the man who died.
“Extensive enquiries are ongoing to establish the full circumstances of this incident.
“Officers have spoken to a number of people who were in the area at the time and work is ongoing to check public and private CCTV footage.
“We are still keen to hear from anyone who has not yet spoken to police.
Police have asked the public to stop sharing distressing photos and videos on social media (Roy/PA wire)
“If you have any information about what happened, then please get in touch.
“Anyone with information is asked to call the police via 101.
“Please quote incident number 3395 of Saturday, 2 November 2024.”
Chief Inspector Trisha Clark, the local area commander, has also asked for people to stop sharing various images and videos on social media out of respect for the family.
“We are aware of videos and images circulating on social media which are causing distress to the deceased’s family and those viewing them inadvertently,” she warned.
“We would ask members of the public not to share them out of respect for his family, and to report them to the relevant social media platform to prevent further circulation.
“There has been a lot of speculation, and I would like to reassure the local community that this was an isolated incident and there is no risk to the wider public.
“This was a tragic incident. We are investigating a crash, and our road policing officers, assisted by local officers, are continuing to carry out enquiries.”
“Anyone with concerns or any information which could assist the investigation should contact police.”
Scottish Ambulance Service told LADbible in a statement: “We received a call at 19:32 on Saturday 2 November to attend a road traffic collision on Cowgate, Edinburgh. We dispatched one ambulance, one special operations response team (SORT), and one paramedic response unit (PRU) to the scene.”
LADbible Group has contacted Police Scotland for comment.
Featured Image Credit: PA wire/Roy/PA wire
Topics: UK News
