Hero builder helped OAP who was stabbed in street

The street has been sealed off. Picture: Pete Alba

The worker had been on a tea break from a site on Corstorphine’s Gylemuir Road when he ran to the aid of the OAP, who suffered multiple stab wounds.

A man was led away in handcuffs shortly after 11am yesterday.

The injured OAP was also assisted by two female motorists who covered him with a blanket, while a resident living in a flat above threw a pillow out the window to help make the man comfortable.

A large section of the cul-de-sac was taped off by police, while an inner cordon was created around the area where the man was stabbed.

Blood-soaked rags were strewn across the road beside a black jacket, yellow fleece blanket and a rucksack.

Police and forensics teams remained at the scene throughout the day and into the evening, blocking entry for cars.

A neighbour, who initially thought there had been a car accident, was shocked when she learned the truth as she came across the scene.

She said: I just couldn’t believe it.”

Another woman who had gone out to help said she was still shaken.

The resident, who asked not to be named, said: “I was coming back from Tesco and a lady with a car called me down. I saw the man lying on the road. I thought she had knocked him down.

“The guy from the building site who was on his break was very brave.

“He was trying to stop the blood. It’s not what you expect on a Monday morning. The ambulance took a long time before they took the man away.

“They were holding his neck. He appeared to have multiple stab wounds.”

A neighbour who lives in an adjacent flat, who declined to be identified, said: “I saw a man walk past and then walk back again. He just sauntered slowly by. At first I thought he had a dog but then I saw another man lying on the ground.

“A couple of cars came round the corner and a lady put a blanket under the man’s head. To start with I thought he might have lost his balance off the kerb. He had blood on his hands.”

She added: “The man lying on the ground seemed feeble. I got quite a shock when I found out he had been stabbed.”

Another nearby resident, said she heard a “shout for help”.

She added: “I am a childminder and I’d just walked along the road [with a child] ten minutes before. I didn’t realise what it was.

“It’s horrible to think that it happened at 11am.”

The unnamed victim was taken to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary where his condition is not known.

Community leaders condemned the incident as “horrific”.

Councillor Rob Aldridge said: “It’s obviously really shocking in such a quiet area where there is so little crime. It will have an impact on local people, but I’m sure that police will now have it all under control.

“I trust this is a one-off and highly unusual incident. I’m sure the police will make sure they have an additional presence in the area to reassure people.”

Community councillor Ken Swinney said: “It’s not an area where you get that kind of thing happening – it’s shocking. There’s a lot of people about there. I can’t understand it.”

A Police Scotland spokesman said: “A 55-year-old man has been arrested and charged following a serious assault on an 86-year-old man in Gylemuir Road on December 1.

“He is scheduled to appear at Edinburgh Sheriff Court today.”