Everything we know about the ‘severed head’ found on Edinburgh’s Cowgate this weekend

Police Scotland has confirmed the death of a 74-year-old man who was struck by a single-decker bus on Cowgate in Edinburgh, on Saturday evening (2nd November).

An eyewitness told The Edinburgh Tab that a head had been found “decapitated” on the ground of the city’s party district.

It is now being reported that the man was killed after he fell under the wheel arch of a bus at around 7:25pm.

Officers were called to the scene at around 7:30pm on Saturday. Shortly after, numerous streets leading onto Cowgate were closed with Police Scotland asking members of the public to avoid the area until further notice. Forensics team attended after half an hour and were seen wearing hazmat suits and erecting two tents on opposite sides of the road.

Following the incident, images of the “severed head” were quick to circulate on social media with one video appearing to show passersby picking up the head and mistaking it for a Halloween prop.

Whilst the circumstances of the collision are still under investigation, Police Scotland has requested witnesses to send information to the force, saying: “Please don’t share the distressing images [on] social media. Instead report them to the relevant social media platform.”

According to BBC News, Chief Inspector Trisha Clark, the local area commander urged users of social media platforms to be considerate to the deceased’s family, saying: “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.

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“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.”

Clubs, pubs and bars on Cowgate were instructed to shut down by the police soon after the incident. A statement from Bachata Blues Edinburgh, an organiser that was meant to have an event at a bar on Cowgate on Saturday night, read: “Following police instructions, all Cowgate venues are going to be closed tonight due to a major incident. All ways to enter Cowgate are cut off.”

As of Sunday, 3rd November, the streets have been reopened.

Students were also removed from their accommodation in the area, with an Edinburgh University spokesperson telling the Daily Mail: “A number of student residences were impacted by the incident in Edinburgh’s Cowgate area, with some students unable to exit or return to their accommodation.”

The incident has brought about pressure from local community members to pedestrianise Cowgate, with one resident creating a Change.org petition and arguing: “There is simply no need for cars to access Cowgate in the evenings. With the Royal Mile and Chamber’s Street running parallel, the road being pedestrianised between the hours of 6pm and 4am would be highly beneficial for the safety of Edinburgh, and reduce the chance of such a tragic event happening again.”

Sgt Louise Birrell of Edinburgh’s Road Policing Unit 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. 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.