Blade victim wants to see his attackers jailed

By Michael MacLeod

A DAD who had his face slashed in an unprovoked attack says he despairs his young daughter having to see his 10cm scar every day.

Handyman Alexander DeVires took a shortcut through an Edinburgh park on his way home from his sisters’ house when he was violently knifed.

The 34 year-old was beaten to the ground by two men before they took a blade to his face.

The assault came just hours before justice secretary Kenny MacAskill launched a high-profile knife crackdown at another park close by in the north of the capital.

With his four year-old daughter Honey starting school at the end of summer, Mr DeVries worries other parents will judge him for having a gash on his face.

Police Hunt Thugs After Bonnyrigg Slash Attack

by SHAUN MILNE

A GANG of four thugs beat and slashed a terrified 19-year-old man as he made his way home from a night out with friends early this morning.

The victim had to be taken to hospital and treated to wounds to his forearms after frantically trying to defend himself from the brutal assault which happened between 12.30am and 1am in Bonnyrigg, East Lothian.

Police investigating the incident said it appeared to have been “unprovoked” and yesterday began scouring local CCTV cameras for hopes of finding the gang who pounced as he walked down Rosewell Road and Skeltiemuir Avenue.

The man was taken to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary for treatment but has since been released.

He could only tell police that the four were about the same age, white, with at least one of them carrying some kind of weapon.

Police officers, led by Detective Constable Stewart Campbell, are now appealing for anyone with information to come forward.

A spokesman said: “This is a serious incident that has left a young man requiring medical attention for his injuries.

“Anyone who was in the area at the time and saw anything suspicious should contact police immediately.”

Lothian and Borders Police can be reached on 0131 311 3131.

Former TA soldier jailed for Leith OAP blade attacks

By Paul Thornton

A SCHIZOPHRENIC ex paratrooper has been jailed for an unprovoked knife attack on two pensioners during broad daylight in a busy street in Edinburgh.

The random assaults on two OAPs aged 79 and 82 happened within minutes of each other in Easter Road in Leith on February 4.

Francis McGeachie, 82, was left with a 15cm slash and will be scarred for the rest of her life while 79-year-old Elizabeth Essien is now afraid to go outside on her own and now forced to take taxis everywhere.