9am Briefing: Probe into ‘unexplained death’ after body found

POLICE are investigating the “unexplained death” of a 37-year-old man whose body was found in a city centre flat yesterday evening.

He was found dead in a property in Jamaica Mews, at the western end of the New Town, at around 7pm.

Lothian and Borders Police said inquiries were at an early stage but are calling for anyone with information to contact them.

A spokesman said: “Police are carrying out inquiries in relation to the death of a 37-year-man, whose body was discovered in a property in Jamaica Mews yesterday evening.

“Inquiries are at an early stage, and his death is currently being treated as unexplained.”

Anyone with information should call police on 0131-311 3131 or Crimestoppers in complete confidence and anonymity on 0800-555 111.

* Independent Lothians MSP Margo MacDonald has taken the first step towards a new version of her Bill on assisted suicide.

Her previous attempt to introduce the Bill in the Scottish Parliament was soundly defeated at the end of last year, but she vowed at the time to fight on.

Ms MacDonald has now submitted a proposed consultation document for a more streamlined piece of legislation to be called the Assisted Suicide (Scotland) Bill.

She said she had learned many lessons from her previous attempt to pass the Bill: “This is a much simplified Bill. We have learned lessons from last time. it is about the rights of people seeking this assistance, a right to ask not demand.”

* IndyCar racer Dario Franchitti has spoken of his grief after losing friend Dan Wheldon in last week’s Las Vegas pile up.

The Bathgate-born driver lost his best friend, Greg Moore, in the sport’s 1999 season finale and is now grappling with yet another loss.

He said: “It’s tough. It’s a horrible part of the sport, and it’s a horrible part of life.

“When you see Dan’s family, see Susie [his wife] and the boys, you realise ‘Whoa’.

“That’s the tough part, really. The racing part, you can deal with that. We didn’t want to lose a friend. You’d give anything to have him back here.”

Franchitti, 38, was driving in the race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway’s big oval, and praised the decision to cancel the race and close with a five-lap tribute to Wheldon. “Most of us couldn’t drive because of the tears. We couldn’t see where we were going,” he said.

But he said he still planned to go on driving.

* Police were left with a sticky situation after a lorry shed its load of concrete on to a road in Balgreen yesterday afternoon.

The spillage caused traffic congestion westbound on Stevenson Road as a clean up got under way.

One of the lanes was closed for half an hour to allow access for a road sweeper.

The incident was reported at 3.30pm and took four hours to deal with.