Police forced to lead man to safety after angry mob protest outside Midlothian home
Police had to lead the man to safety
An alleged child sex offender had to be led to safety from his home by police after an angry mob demonstrated in the street outside his property.
The man, believed to be in his late 50s, was escorted from the ground floor flat by several officers following two nights of protests by concerned residents in Dalkeith, Midlothian.
The mob descended on the property after finding out the man had been housed there and chanted and unfurled homemade banners in an effort to have him removed.
The outside of the home was pelted with eggs and a neighbour’s window was smashed after the peaceful protest turned ugly on Thursday, July 23.
Around 60 locals including many children and young people gathered outside the property resulting in a large police presence having to be deployed to keep the peace.
A banner displaying the man’s name and address was draped over the front garden fence and an upstairs neighbour also hung up a sign stating “Toot Toot Beastie Oot”.
A third sign in black paint situated across the road from the man’s home read “[name] is a beast”.
Around a dozen police officers were seen standing guard outside the home and on the street as well as four police vans parked nearby.
A video posted on social media showed the man being led away by officers as the angry crowd cheered and shouted at him as he was being led into a waiting police vehicle at around 8pm on Thursday.
One protestor said: “We heard this guy had been housed here recently and there is no way we were going to allow him to stay around here.
“There are lots of families and children living nearby and he is a complete danger to them as well as the wider community.“We are delighted our protest has been successful.”
A second said: “This just goes to show that people power is still alive and well. We cannot allow our communities to be blighted by these disgusting people.”
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “Around 12.40pm on Thursday, 23 July, we received a report of a group gathering in the St Andrew Street area of Dalkeith.“Officers attended and no one was arrested.“Enquiries are ongoing into reports of vandalism.”