A dog owner has been attacked and his family pet stolen during an "appalling" incident in Newhaven near Leith last night (24 April)
The dog - a female Shih Tzu West Highland terrier cross named Eccles - was being walked by her owner, a 20-year-old man, on Newhaven Place when he was approached by an unknown man who began to assault him.
A second man exited a grey vehicle (similar to a Vauxhall Corsa) and also assaulted the victim. The pair walked him around the corner to Glenarm Place where a third male suspect threatened him with a knife before stealing his mobile phone and his dog.
The three men then assaulted the victim again before all three left in an unknown direction in the grey car.
The public are being asked to be alert for sightings of Eccles the dog - who is described as having a grey body with a white underside with dark patches. She also has a recent spayed operation scar and wears a sparkly baby pink collar.
The first suspect is described as a white man between the ages of 30-40-years-old. He is around 5ft 9” to 6ft in height with a stocky build.
He was wearing a black jacket with white logo on the left sleeve, black trousers, black shoes, and a black beanie hat and spoke with a Glaswegian accent.
The second suspect is described as male, around 5ft 8” to 5ft 10” with a slim build. He was wearing a black long sleeved top, black trousers with a white strip and white logo on the left leg and black balaclava (or hat and scarf covering his face).
The third suspect is described as a male between the ages of 20-30-years-old. He has a medium build and short dark hair. He was wearing a dark grey long sleeved top with black sides, black joggers and red trainers.
Detective inspector Graham Grant of Edinburgh’s criminal investigation department said: “This was an appalling attack on a young man, which has resulted being traumatised and losing his family’s dog.
“This level of violence is completely unacceptable in our communities and we are eager to trace the three men responsible for this attack as soon as possible.
“I would ask anyone who was in the Newhaven area just after midnight on Wednesday, 24 April, and has any information that might help our enquiries, to get in touch with us at their earliest convenience.”
Edinburgh Live reported yesterday (Wednesday) that police were investigating an incident in which a man jumped out a car and tried to snatch a dog from a garden in Loanhead.
The incident happened on George Terrace at around 6.10pm on Monday, but the would-be thief left empty-handed after being challenged by a neighbour.
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