Edinburgh crime: 43-year-old man assaulted and threatened with knife by two men who tried to steal his dog

Police say it is 'vital' that the suspects are found

A man was attacked with a knife as two men tried to steal his dog in Balerno.

On Tuesday, a 43-year-old man was walking his dog when he was approached by two men who tried to steal his dog before assaulting him. The man was later taken by ambulance to Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh for treatment.

The incident occurred between 5.15pm and 5.30pm on Tuesday evening in a field near the National Cycle Route 75 and Lanark Road West. It is understood one of the men tried to take the dog whilst the other assaulted the dog owner with a knife. The two men then made off towards Ravelrig Road.

An Edinburgh man was assaulted and threatened with a knife in Balerno on Tuesday, February 13. Police are appealing for information

Detectives in Edinburgh keen to trace the two men involved. The first suspect is described as white, around 50-years-old, of stocky build and 5’ 6” in height. He has a ginger greying beard and was wearing a black thermal beanie hat, black puffer jacket and has a local accent.

The second man is described as white, slim build, 5’ 10” in height and between 20 to 30-years old. He was clean shaven and wearing a hat, a black jacket with green writing, pale blue denim jeans, tan coloured boots.

Detective Inspector Martin Smith, of Edinburgh CID, said: “This appears to be an attempt to rob the man of his dog, and it is vital that we establish the full circumstances of what happened and trace the men responsible.

“I would like to speak to anyone who was in the area between 5pm and 6pm on Tuesday who saw or heard anything suspicious. Similarly, anyone with private CCTV, doorbell footage or dashcam of the area is urged to review the footage and bring anything significant to our attention.

Detective Inspector Smith added: "Officers will be carrying out additional patrols in the area and anyone with any concerns can approach these officers.”

Anyone with any information can call 101, quoting incident 2591 of Tuesday, 13 February, 2024.