Council HQ employee found dead on roof was convicted stalker

Thirty-two-year-old council official Tim Cunningham was found dead on the roof of Waverley Court office in East Market Street where he worked.

Financial officer Mr Cunningham, of Greenbank Drive in Morningside, was convicted of stalking a fellow Christian earlier this year.

Born in the United States, Mr Cunningham was a long-standing member of the Currubers Christian Centre on the High Street and had lived in the UK most of his life.

A number of employees reporting for work noticed the body from their office window and called the police.

Part of the building, which is built in stepped tiers with grassed roof areas overlooking Waverley Station, was cordoned off. Mr Cunningham had pleaded guilty in February to causing fellow Christian café worker Anthea Humpreys “annoyance, inconvenience and needless anxiety,” after he bombarded her with text messages, emails and gifts to her workplace.

He met Ms Humpreys while she was a student at the  University of Edinburgh and the pair forged a ‘friendly  relationship’.

When she moved to London in 2009, they continued to trade text messages. But in January 2011, she told Mr Cunningham to stop contacting her and he refused.

Mr Cunningham’s body is believed to have been discovered by a member of the security staff who told colleagues the man had an injury to the back of his head.

Staff at Waverley Court were asked to lower window blinds to shield workers from the scene as police and forensic specialists searched for clues.

A church member of Carrubbers Christian Centre said: “The death of Tim Cunningham is felt keenly by all who know him at the Carrubbers Christian Centre where he was part of the church family.

“His parents are currently out of the country and our prayers are especially for them and his extended family as we all come to terms with Tim’s death.

“He was generous and caring and especially willing to help those in any need or  difficulty

“He himself struggled with a bi-polar condition which led to him being especially loved and involved in the church where he had a large circle of friends.”

His parents, Thom and Carolyn, are Christian missionaries and are currently representatives for the New Tribes  Mission in New England.

Staff at the council building have been offered counselling.

Lothian and Borders Police said: “Mr Cunningham was discovered around 8am within a garden area at the rear of the building and a police investigation was launched.

“These inquiries are ongoing. However, there appear to be no suspicious circumstances  surrounding his death.”