Gang of youths punch man and throw bread baskets at him outside Edinburgh Spar shop during attack

Shocking footage has emerged of a gang of youths attacking a man outside a shop in the south of Edinburgh.

Police were called to the incident by the Spar in Moredunvale Road at around 8.30pm on Tuesday night. A police spokesperson said that no one required medical treatment and that enquiries are ongoing to identify those responsible.

Shop manager Zaghum Cheema, 32, said the victim was left with a bloody mouth after the attack, which involved a number of youths punching the man and throwing parts of a shop sign and bread baskets at him.

Mr Cheema said: “We heard the commotion outside and saw one boy was getting attacked. I told the staff to stay inside and I called the police. I saw them throwing bread baskets at him and they were kicking and punching him.”

A group of youths were captured on CCTV attacking the man.

It is unclear what triggered the attack but CCTV footage outside the shop showed a number of youths appearing to laugh at the young man as he walked past before the situation escalated. The incident lasted for about three minutes and the group dispersed shortly after the shop alarm sounded.

Mr Cheema said he pressed the panic button behind the counter which sent a distress signal to police when the situation escalated. He said he ended up calling 999 as officers had not turned up after 15 minutes.

He said gangs of youths regularly loiter outside the shop and intimidate customers but that they had not experienced as much trouble in recent months after working with local police to try and clamp down on anti-social behaviour.

Mr Cheema said a teenager punched one of his staff members in the face last year when they caught him stealing a bottle of alcohol.

The group were seen on CCTV attacking the man. Pic: supplied

The shop manager said they have experienced regular problems in the past with youths stealing and verbally abusing staff.

Mr Cheema said: “In an ideal world they would not be hanging about outside the shop everyday, but there’s not much more police can do.”

Another eye-witness last night, who did not want to be named, said the youths had been “throwing stones indiscriminately” into the air with “complete disregard” to where they landed or who they might hurt, prior to the sudden attack.

The eye-witness said the youths have a “wolf pack mentality” and fear no one and claimed some of them have been involved in antisocial behaviour on or around Lothian buses in recent months.

Sergeant Grant Robertson, from Howdenhall Police Station, said: “We are aware of the negative effect anti-social behaviour has and we will act on any information we receive to keep our communities safe. We work closely with a range of partners and businesses, including local youth services, in an effort to deter incidents such as this.

"We encourage anyone who witnesses anti-social behaviour to contact the police via 101, or 999 in an emergency. Anyone with any information in relation to the incident at Moredunvale Road can contact the police via 101 quoting incident 3480 15/06/2021, or alternatively report anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.”

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