Peter Tobin death: Fireworks set off near Edinburgh's Saughton Prison hours after death of serial killer

Edinburgh locals spotted fireworks going off near Saughton Prison hours after the death of serial killer Peter Tobin was announced.

The fireworks were launched from the land between the prison and Longstone on Saturday night in Edinburgh, after police announced that Tobin had died earlier in the day. In a video of the display sent to the Evening News, a woman can be heard telling the serial killer to 'rot in hell''

Tobin, who had cancer, died in hospital after becoming unwell at Saughton Prison.

A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “Around 6.04am on Saturday, October 8, 2022, officers attended the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh following the death of a 76-year-old man. The death is not being treated as suspicious and a report will be submitted to the Procurator Fiscal.”

Tobin was convicted of raping and murdering Polish student Angelika Kluk, 23, and hiding her body under the floor of a Glasgow church in 2006. The Renfrewshire-born killer was also serving life terms at HMP Edinburgh for the murders of West Lothian schoolgirl Vicky Hamilton, 15, and Essex teenager Dinah McNicol, 18

Following the news of Tobin’s death, Vicky’s family said they would not be celebrating the killer's passing.

A statement posted on Facebook read: “With the unconfirmed news of Tobin's passing, the family would like to remind people of what we said outside Dundee High Court when he was finally found guilty of our sisters murder.

Fireworks were set off near Edinburgh's Saughton Prison after the news of Peter Tobin's death broke.

“We no longer wish to talk about him. Unfortunately the popularity of Serial Killers and True Crime will make him infamous for a long time and his victims will all but become a footnote in his history.

“We remember Vicky, we remember her laughter, her smile and we want to keep that memory after all the years of having no idea what had happened to her, followed by heartbreak of losing our mum not long after Vicky went missing. He does not deserve anymore of our families thoughts.

“If he has taken more victims, our hearts go out to their families and can only wish one day they get the closure they so badly deserve. We will not be celebrating any passing but instead will be remembering Vicky, Angelika and Dinah along with any other victims, and we respectfully ask for others to do the same.”