Edinburgh crime: Dad says his two young children were left 'terrified' after thugs threw bottle at bus window

Passengers were travelling along Pennywell Road on the Airport 200 bus service last night when a bottle was thrown through a window

An Edinburgh dad who was travelling with his two young children on a Lothian Bus has described the terrifying moment when a bottle was launched through a window, shattering glass onto unsuspecting passengers.

The Edinburgh resident, who did not wish to be named, was on board the number 200 airport bus service with his young daughters aged six and 11, when out of nowhere a bus window was smashed at around 12am on Pennywell Road near the medical centre causing ‘a massive hole’.

The father of two said: “I just heard this almighty smash. I thought ‘what the hell’ and when I turned around I saw the whole window had been shattered – someone had thrown a miniature brandy bottle through it. There was a guy actually sitting at the window and I’m surprised he never got struck by it. My kids were both crying their eyes out because they were so scared and shocked.”

Passengers travelling on the 200 airport bus service were left shocked after a window was smashed whilst travelling on Pennywell Road at around midnight

Returning from a four-day trip to England to attend a wedding, the family were nearing the end of a long day of travelling, boarding the bus at around 11.45pm after their flight had been delayed. But following the incident that saw a left-hand side window of the bus smashed near the seating area for prams and wheelchairs, the family then departed the bus and walked the remainder of the short journey home.

Sitting on the other side of the bus, the dad said he dreaded to think of the outcome if they had been sitting elsewhere. He said: “My youngest was sleeping against the window and then woke up and asked what it was – she was really scared. If it had happened on the other side of the road who knows what would have happened. I’m still in a bit of shock to be fair. We had to step over all the glass that was falling through the window when we were leaving – my six-year-old was in bits.”

The father added: “It was 12 o’clock at night, it had been a long day at the airport and we were really tired and just wanted to get home. It’s just out of order, people don’t need that sort of stuff going on. To have these idiots doing stuff like that – something needs to be done about this – somebody could have been seriously hurt. I just hope everyone else from the bus is alright too.”

A Lothian Spokesperson said: “We are aware of an incident involving one of our vehicles in the Pennywell Road area last night and are assisting Police Scotland with their enquiries.”

A Police Scotland spokesperson said: "Police enquiries are ongoing following a report of a bus window smashed whilst travelling on Pennywell Road, Edinburgh. The incident occurred at 11.40pm on Sunday, 22 October 2023 and there were no reports of anyone injured.”